Musk: Moon and Mars factories could make him a quadrillionaire

A social media post noted Elon Musk is roughly $998.9 trillion short of a $1 quadrillion fortune. He replied that reaching that level of wealth is “not impossible,” but would demand large-scale manufacturing on the Moon and Mars. “Not impossible, but definitely requires factories on the Moon and Mars to achieve,” Musk wrote. He added a view on how value might be measured in a solar-system economy: “By then, I don’t think dollars will be used as currency. Just mass and energy.”

The comments accompanied recent public milestones for SpaceX. The company opened on Nasdaq with an initial market valuation near $2 trillion, briefly ranking among the largest U.S. public companies. SpaceX reported $18.7 billion in revenue for 2025. Musk has projected the business could reach $1 trillion in annual revenue by 2030.

Parts of Musk’s compensation are tied to off-world goals. A pay plan links 200 million super-voting shares to the establishment of a permanent Mars colony with at least one million residents. The company has also announced a planned Mars flyby crew and named a private investor who bought a seat on that mission. Musk also joked about finally getting the “volcano lair” he has referenced in other public remarks.

Musk’s comments prompted online discussion about the practical and legal challenges of building factories beyond Earth, including transport costs, required infrastructure, energy supply and the governance of off-world resources. The remarks were made alongside SpaceX’s stated financial targets and recent corporate milestones.