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Net Worth Comparison

Ron Burkle vs Elon Musk

Real-time net worth, career, and company comparison — updated May 2026.

Ron Burkle

Ron Burkle

CEO, Supermarkets
Net Worth
$3.865B
+0.01% today
Elon Musk
Wealthier

Elon Musk

CEO, Tesla, Inc.
Net Worth
$807.656B
+$803.8B more than Ron
+1.18% today

Wealth at a Glance

Ron Burkle$3.865B
Elon Musk$807.656B

Net worth gap: $803.8B — equivalent to 100% of Elon's total wealth.

Tale of the Tape

Ron Burkle
Elon Musk
$3.865B
Net Worth
$807.656B
#1102
Global Rank
#1
73
Age
54
UNITED STATES
Country
UNITED STATES
Supermarkets, investments
Source of Wealth
Tesla, SpaceX
Fashion & Retail
Industry
Technology
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Studied Dentistry, Dropped out)
Education
University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS)

Net Worth History

YearRonElonLeader
2022—$146B—
2023—$235.5B—
2024$3.9B$839.6BElon
2025$3.9B$839BElon
2026$3.865B$807.656BElon

Career Highlights

Ron Burkle

  1. 1986
    Founded The Yucaipa Companies
    Established a private equity firm focused on investments in the retail, distribution, food, and consumer sectors.
  2. 1989
    Merged Yucaipa holdings with Breco Holding Company
    This merger formed Food 4 Less Supermarkets Inc..
  3. 1997
    Donated $15 million for Walt Disney Concert Hall
    Supported the construction of the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
  4. 2021
    Soho House & Co. went public
    Burkle is a significant shareholder of swanky club and hotel chain Soho House & Co..

Elon Musk

  1. 1995
    Co-founded Zip2
    Co-founded Zip2, an online city guide for newspapers.
  2. 1999
    Co-founded X.com
    Co-founded X.com, which later became PayPal.
  3. 2002
    Founded SpaceX
    Founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
  4. 2004
    Became Chairman of Tesla
    Led the first funding round for Tesla and became its Chairman.
  5. 2008
    Became CEO of Tesla
    Became CEO of Tesla Motors.

The Verdict: Elon Musk vs Ron Burkle

As of May 2026, Elon Musk leads this comparison with a net worth of $807.656B, placing at #1 in the global rankings. Ron Burkle follows at $3.865B — a gap of $803.8B.

The two leaders come from distinct industries — Fashion & Retail for Ron Burkle and Technology for Elon Musk. Comparing them is therefore a comparison of different underlying asset types, growth rates, and risk profiles rather than a simple head-to-head within the same market.

Ron Burkle is 73 years old versus 54 for Elon Musk, a difference of 19 years. Age context matters in wealth comparisons: a younger billionaire at the same net worth has had less time to accumulate — and in many cases represents a higher compound annual growth rate on their wealth.

Net worth figures are estimates calculated from public shareholding disclosures, stock price data, and reported asset values. See our full methodology.

Explore Full Profiles

Ron Burkle
Ron Burkle
Full profile → net worth, bio, career history
Elon Musk
Elon Musk
Full profile → net worth, bio, career history

Net worth estimates updated daily from public financial disclosures. Methodology · Report an error