Net Worth Comparison

Thomas Peterffy vs Elon Musk

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

Thomas Peterffy

Thomas Peterffy

Net Worth
$96.618B
+0.39% today
Elon Musk
Wealthier

Elon Musk

Net Worth
$807.656B
+$711.0B more than Thomas
+1.18% today

Wealth at a Glance

Thomas Peterffy$96.618B
Elon Musk$807.656B

Net worth gap: $711.0B — equivalent to 88% of Elon's total wealth.

Tale of the Tape

Thomas Peterffy
Elon Musk
$96.618B
Net Worth
$807.656B
#20
Global Rank
#1
81
Age
54
UNITED STATES
Country
UNITED STATES
Discount brokerage
Source of Wealth
Tesla, SpaceX
Finance & Investments
Industry
Technology
Dropped out, New York University
Education
University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS)

Career Highlights

Thomas Peterffy

  1. 1965
    Immigrated to the U.S.
    Emigrated to the United States from Hungary.
  2. 1977
    Purchased AMEX Seat
    Purchased a seat on the American Stock Exchange and became a market maker.
  3. 1983
    Pioneered Handheld Computers
    Developed the first handheld computers for trading.
  4. 1993
    Founded Interactive Brokers
    Founded Interactive Brokers, an online discount brokerage firm.
  5. 2019
    Stepped Down as CEO
    Stepped down as CEO of Interactive Brokers.

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.

Net Worth History

YearThomasElonLeader
2022$23.3B$146BElon
2023$25.3B$235.5BElon
2024$83.4B$839.6BElon
2025$82.9B$839BElon
2026$96.618B$807.656BElon

The Verdict: Elon Musk vs Thomas Peterffy

As of May 2026, Elon Musk leads this comparison with a net worth of $807.656B, placing at #1 in the global rankings. Thomas Peterffy follows at $96.618B — a gap of $711.0B.

The two leaders come from distinct industries — Finance & Investments for Thomas Peterffy 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.

Thomas Peterffy is 81 years old versus 54 for Elon Musk, a difference of 27 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.