, Dec. 21 -- Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has become the first person ever to surpass a net worth of $700 billion, following a Delaware Supreme Court decision that restored a huge stock options award previously scrapped by a lower court.

According to Forbes' billionaires index, Musk's fortune stood at an estimated $749 billion on Friday after the court reinstated Tesla stock options now valued at $139 billion. The latest surge came just four days after Musk broke through the $600 billion threshold.

The stock options originate from Musk's 2018 compensation plan, which at one point was valued at $56 billion. In 2024, the Delaware Court of Chancery invalidated the package, describing the approval process as "unfathomable" and po...