Elon Musk’s Wealth Rise Now Bigger Than Bill Gates and Koch Bickering Combined
KEY POINTS
- •The bottom 50% face rising rents, 6% mortgage rates, and only own 1% of stocks, fueling pessimism about AI and economic future.
- •Middle-class households benefit from low mortgage rates from 2020-21 and rising wages but worry about AI replacing white-collar jobs.
- •Top 10% wealth soared by $5 trillion in one quarter of 2025, with Elon Musk and Google co-founders seeing gains worth tens of billions each.
The US economy is now a three-ring circus starring the Have-Nots (burning through pay raises to cover 6% mortgages and $400 emergencies), the Haves (coasting nervously on 4% mortgage gold handcuffs and holiday splurges), and the Have-Lots (Elon Musk’s $187 billion rollercoaster ride pushing his net worth to $600 billion, beating Bill Gates and Charles Koch combined). Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin co-piloted this space rocket, adding $101B and $92B respectively in 2025, while Oracle’s Larry Ellison’s $55B bloom helps fund a Paramount quest for Warner Bros. The Have-Lots cozy up in the 'Silicon Swamp,' lobbying to keep federal rules off their yachts—leaving the bottom half’s chances of affording even a toaster a shrinking horror story.
Share the Story
When Elon Musk makes more in a year than Gates and Koch combined, it's official: capitalism is the ultimate buddy comedy—except half of us are the punchline.
Elon Musk gained $187B last year while 40% of Americans can’t cover a $400 emergency. That’s less a wealth gap, more a wealth chasm.
Mortgage rates are now the new gym memberships: painfully high, unavoidable, and apparently designed to make you cry slightly every month.
Source: Axios | Published: 1/12/2026 | Author: Jim VandeHei
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