Rupert Murdoch's estranged son is set to make more from his SpaceX investment than he gained from his father's empire

The estranged son of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch seems poised to make a fortune from investments in SpaceX that could far exceed what he's made from his father's empire.

James Murdoch, Rupert's second son, reportedly invested an estimated $120 million in the rocket company leading up to its historic market debut on June 12. Fortune is reporting (1) that the holding could now be worth as much as $7.5 billion. The estimate was made by Pitchbook analyst Franco Granda, who came to the valuation based on details pertaining to Murdoch's holdings.

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Murdoch reportedly bought three tranches of stock in SpaceX, according to details of a court case brought by a Tesla shareholder against Musk over his infamous $56-billion compensation package, Fortune reported. Two of the tranches were worth $50 million each and were bought in 2019 and 2020 through a private investment firm. The third was bought for $20 million as a personal investment in 2019.

Pitchbook estimates those stakes together are worth between $6.5 billion and $7.4 billion today.

According to the 2023 court filing, James has long been connected to Musk, whom he met in the late 1990s. The two reconnected in the mid-2000s after James ordered a Tesla. James was later appointed to the Tesla board, and is currently listed as an independent director who joined the company in July 2017.

He has made millions off of his Tesla shares, which he holds in a trust and another financial entity. Sales of Tesla shares have made the trust $107 million since Spring 2025 (2).

James, 53, is an avid investor and has already made billions of dollars through his father's empire. He served as the former chief executive of 21st Century Fox, but stepped down in 2019 (3) after it was acquired by Disney in a $71.3-billion deal (4). He made $2.2 billion in proceeds.

The Murdoch family underwent a messy and public succession battle. Murdoch officially cut ties with his father after his older brother Lachlan was chosen as the new head of News Corp (5). The global media company owns dozens of organizations, including HarperCollins Publishers and the parent company of The Wall Street Journal and Barron's.

In 2025, a Nevada probate court ruled against a move (6) by Rupert and Lachlan to change the Murdoch Family Trust and strip James and his sisters Liz and Prue of their voting rights in News Corp. The parties came to an agreement after an appeal and each of the three siblings received a $1.1-billion payout. They also shed their stock in News Corp and Fox.

The family feud became public after The New York Times (7) and The Atlantic (8) reported on the animosity. Murdoch and his father no longer speak.

So far, it is still unconfirmed how much money Murdoch could stand to make from SpaceX. The company's S-1 document (9) attached to its initial public offering does not mention Murdoch.

The precise date of his stock acquisitions is unknown, and could impact how much he makes. It is unclear whether Murdoch sold his SpaceX shares before the company went public. There have also been several dilutions, which could impact his earnings.

Despite the lingering questions, Fortune is reporting that media industry executives have been exchanging rumors about the massive windfall Murdoch stands to make.

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Fortune (1); SEC (2); Variety (3); U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (4); News Corp (5); The New York Times (6), (7); The Atlantic (8); Investopedia (9)

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Rupert Murdoch's estranged son is set to make more from his SpaceX investment than he gained from his father's empire

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