The value Musk has created might be way bigger than Buffett's, but Musk really isn't as wealthy as Buffett. If Buffett wanted to, with his $100 billion net worth, he could mobilize over $1 trillion in cash. That amount of cash is on the same scale as the Chinese central bank's holdings of U.S. Treasury bonds. But Musk, with a $1 trillion net worth, can't even come up with $100 billion in cash. You might say Musk could sell stocks, but back then, he only sold $10 billion worth, and $TSLA dropped from $1 trillion to $380 billion. Meanwhile, SpaceX has raised $100 billion cumulatively, and a significant portion of that is debt. The operating cash flow of both companies is extremely tight. Combined, the cash flow Musk can actually use doesn't exceed $100 billion. After understanding this, I have a deeper appreciation for cash. If you have a $1 trillion net worth but only $10 billion in cash, then that net worth is really just a number. But if you only have $100 billion, yet you can mobilize $1 trillion at any time, that's what it truly means to be as rich as a nation. #Musk #Buffett #Wealth #CashFlow