Money

Elon Musk Friend's $1 Million Loan Now Worth Over $100 Billion

Name: Elon Musk Friend's $1 Million Loan Now Worth Over $100 Billion
Uploaded: 2026-05-27T22:03:00+00:00
Description: Entrepreneur Magazine reported that Antonio Gracias, who loaned Elon Musk $1 million during Tesla and SpaceX's early struggles, now holds a 7.3% SpaceX stake valued at over $100 billion—a 150,000X return. The story was used to illustrate the importance of betting on talent and taking calculated risks on visionary founders.

PBD Podcast · Ferrari's EV Disaster + Mamdani's Asset Seizure · May 27, 2026

PBD Podcast

Ferrari's EV Disaster + Mamdani's Asset Seizure

"Antonio Gracias bet early on Musk. His 7.3% SpaceX stake could soon make him one of the 50 wealthiest people in the world. That million dollars now is worth over $100 billion. This guy 150,000x'd the loan he gave to Elon Musk."

Entrepreneur Magazine reported that Antonio Gracias, who loaned Elon Musk $1 million during Tesla and SpaceX's early struggles, now holds a 7.3% SpaceX stake valued at over $100 billion—a 150,000X return. The story was used to illustrate the importance of betting on talent and taking calculated risks on visionary founders.

About this episode

On this Business Wednesday episode, host Pat Bet-David was joined by Tom Ellsworth, Jeff Snyder, and Humberto for a wide-ranging discussion dominated by economic warning signs, political shifts, and strategic investment insights. The most explosive segment came when New York City official Zohran Mamdani announced plans to forcibly seize landlord properties and transfer them to nonprofits or tenants, prompting Ellsworth to warn this was a Marxist playbook designed to pressure banks into restructuring loans and create self-funding Democratic PACs. Snyder delivered a stark economic warning, revealing that global youth hiring has collapsed to 2008 Great Recession levels with summer teen employment hitting record lows, explaining this as a multi-year systemic failure with severe political and social consequences. The episode also covered Ferrari's controversial $640,000 electric Luce model, with former Ferrari chairman Luca Montezemolo delivering a scathing dismissal and Ellsworth predicting internal board warfare between traditionalists and progressives. Trump's political momentum was highlighted with an undefeated 118-0 endorsement record including Ken Paxton's 27-point landslide over John Cornyn despite being outspent 9-to-1. On the investment front, the group discussed Antonio Gracias turning a $1 million loan to Elon Musk into over $100 billion through SpaceX equity, a 150,000X return used to illustrate the power of betting on visionary talent. The Iran peace deal negotiations, oil price volatility, Alberta's potential secession from Canada, Ben & Jerry's founder regretting his Unilever sale, and the Pope's AI warnings were also debated. Bet-David closed by urging listeners to develop sharper instinct and intuition through rigorous self-evaluation and recommended attending the Vault Conference to build better peer networks.

Key takeaways

Zohran Mamdani announced New York City plans to seize landlord properties and transfer them to nonprofits or tenants in buildings deemed neglected.
Tom Ellsworth warned the nonprofits would be Democratic PACs and the city would pressure banks to restructure loans, creating a self-funding Marxist machine.
Jeff Snyder revealed global youth hiring has collapsed to 2008 levels with teen summer employment at record lows across the US, China, and Canada.
Trump's endorsements are now 118-for-118 including Ken Paxton's 27-point landslide over John Cornyn despite being outspent 9-to-1.
Antonio Gracias turned a $1 million loan to Elon Musk into over $100 billion through 7.3% SpaceX ownership, a 150,000X return.
Ferrari's $640,000 electric Luce was blasted by former chairman Luca Montezemolo with Ellsworth predicting internal board warfare over EV strategy.
Bet-David urged entrepreneurs to develop instinct and intuition through self-evaluation and cited a private equity study showing 5X CEOs excel at decisive hiring and firing.