Elon Musk ousts Jeff Bezos on top of Forbes billionaires list for first time with net worth of $273.6bn
The IndependentThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk topped Forbes’ annual billionaires list for the first time this month as he became Twitter’s largest shareholder, ousting former Amazon president Jeff Bezos, who spent the last four years as the richest person in the world. Mr Musk, with an estimated net worth of $273.6bn per Forbes’ real-time tracker as of 14 April, has been on the list for a decade, with his massive wealth over the last several years attributed to his soaring and volatile Tesla stock. “Still, more than 1,000 billionaires got wealthier over the past year.” View more A day after disclosing that he owns a 9.2 per cent stake in Twitter stock on 4 April, the social media platform disclosed in a regulatory filing that Mr Musk will join its board of directors, giving the world’s richest man a seat on the company’s board through at least 2024. Under US President Joe Biden’s pitch to Congress for a minimum tax on billionaires, American households worth more than $10m would pay a 20 per cent tax rate on income as well as unrealized gains tied to other assets, such as stocks and bonds, which are not currently taxed until they are sold off.