The 10 Richest People in the World

1. Elon Musk

Elon Musk, at age 53, is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla and the
richest man in the world with a net worth of $252 billion. Born in South
Africa, he moved to Canada for university and later transferred to the
University of Pennsylvania, earning degrees in physics and economics.
After briefly enrolling in a graduate program at Stanford, he left to
launch Zip2, followed by X.com, which became PayPal. Musk became a
major funder of Tesla in 2004, leading to his current role. He is also
CEO of SpaceX and has stakes in several other ventures, including The
Boring Company, Neuralink, and xAI. In 2022, Musk acquired a 79%
stake in X (formerly Twitter) through a $44 billion buyout.
2. Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, 60, is the founder and executive chair of Amazon

with a net worth of $209 billion. He owns 9% of Amazon ($174
billion) and has other assets like Blue Origin ($15 billion), The
Washington Post ($250 million), Koru ($500 million), and $19.9
billion in cash. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994, initially an
online bookstore, which has since become a global retail giant.
He stepped down as CEO in 2021. Bezos also owns Blue Origin
and participated in its first crewed space flight in 2021. In 2023,
he bought the superyacht Koru for $500 million.
3. Bernard Arnault

Bernard Arnault, 75, resides in France and is the CEO and chair of
LVMH, with a net worth of $185 billion. He owns 48% of LVMH ($170
billion) and has $16 billion in cash. LVMH, the world's largest luxury
goods company, includes brands like Louis Vuitton, Hennessy, Marc
Jacobs, and Sephora. Arnault's wealth mainly comes from his stake in
LVMH, held through Financiere Agache. Initially an engineer, Arnault
transformed his father's construction firm into a real estate company
before acquiring luxury goods maker Financière Agache in 1984. He
became the majority shareholder and CEO of LVMH in 1989.
4. Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, 40, resides in the United States and is the CEO and
chair of Meta Platforms, with a net worth of $169 billion. He owns 13%
of Meta ($164 billion) and has $5.10 billion in cash. Zuckerberg co-
founded Facebook (now Meta) while at Harvard University in 2004 and
dropped out to focus on the growing company. Meta includes Facebook,
Instagram (acquired in 2012), WhatsApp, Oculus (both acquired in
2014), and Workplace. In 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan
founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, aiming to use technology to
address societal issues such as education, criminal justice reform,
immigration, housing affordability, and disease eradication.
5. Bill Gates

Bill Gates, 68, resides in the United States and is the co-founder of
Microsoft, with a net worth of $156 billion. He owns 1% of Microsoft
($27.1 billion) and 100% of Cascade Investment LLC ($76.3 billion),
along with other assets in various companies. Gates dropped out of
Harvard in 1975 to co-found Microsoft with Paul Allen. Microsoft is the
world's largest software company and also offers PCs, email services,
video game systems, and cloud services. Gates transitioned from CEO
to board chair in 2008 and stepped down from the boards of Microsoft
and Berkshire Hathaway in 2020.

6. Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison, 79, resides in the United States and is the co-founder,
chair, and CTO of Oracle, with a net worth of $154 billion. He owns
over 42% of Oracle ($117 billion) and holds Tesla equity worth $10.4
billion, along with $26.5 billion in cash. After dropping out of the
University of Chicago, Ellison worked as a computer programmer and
co-founded Software Development Laboratories (later Oracle) in 1977.
Oracle, the world's second-largest software company, offers cloud
computing, Java, Linux, and the Oracle Exadata platform. Ellison
stepped down as Oracle's CEO in 2014. He joined Tesla's board in 2018
and left in 2022. His philanthropy focuses on medical research,
including a $200 million donation to USC for a cancer research center.

7. Larry Page

Larry Page, 51, resides in the United States and is the co-founder and a
board member of Alphabet (GOOG), with a net worth of $153 billion.
He owns 6% of Alphabet ($134.3 billion) and has $19 billion in cash.
Page co-founded Google with Sergey Brin in 1998 while at Stanford
University. Google, the world's dominant search engine, accounts for
over 92% of global search requests and owns YouTube and Android.
Alphabet, a holding company, was formed in 2015. Page has invested in
ventures like Planetary Resources and flying car companies Kitty Hawk
and Opener.

8. Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer, 68, resides in the United States and owns the Los
Angeles Clippers. His net worth is $145 billion, with a 4% stake in
Microsoft ($134 billion) and additional assets including the Clippers
($4.56 billion), The Forum ($400 million), Intuit Dome ($2 billion), and
$4.43 billion in cash. Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980, became CEO in
2000, and stepped down in 2014. He oversaw Microsoft's $8.5 billion
purchase of Skype in 2011. Ballmer purchased the Clippers in 2014 and
is Microsoft's largest individual shareholder. He was a close friend of
Bill Gates from their time at Harvard, although their relationship became
strained during Ballmer's push into hardware

9. Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin, 50, resides in the United States and is the co-founder and a
board member of Alphabet (GOOG), with a net worth of $152 billion.
He owns 6% of Alphabet ($125.2 billion) and has $19.1 billion in cash.
Born in Moscow, Brin moved to the U.S. at age six. He co-founded
Google with Larry Page in 1998, serving as president of technology until
2019. Google, now part of Alphabet, offers Google Workspace, Pixel
devices, Nest smart home products, and the Stadia gaming platform.
Brin has donated millions to Parkinson's disease research, collaborating
with The Michael J. Fox Foundation.

10. Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, 93, resides in the United States and is the CEO of
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A), with a net worth of $139 billion. He
owns 15% of Berkshire Hathaway ($137 billion) and has $1.50 billion in
cash. Known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett began his investment
journey at 14 and became the majority shareholder of Berkshire
Hathaway in 1965, expanding it into insurance and other investments.
Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio includes insurance, energy, railroads,
and consumer products. Buffett is a Bitcoin skeptic and has donated over
$41 billion, primarily to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and his
children's charities. He co-launched the Giving Pledge in 2010. Buffett
remains CEO, with Gregory Abel named as his likely successor.