At the top of the list of the world’s wealthiest individuals are prominent figures such as Bernard Arnault, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Bernard Arnault. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, held the title of the richest person for many years, thanks to the phenomenal success of the e-commerce giant. However, his position was later overtaken by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, whose electric vehicle and space exploration ventures catapulted him to the top spot. Bernard Arnault, the chairman and CEO of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), also ranks high on the list, primarily due to his luxury goods empire.

These billionaires not only possess significant financial wealth but also exert considerable influence on global economies and industries. Their investments and business decisions have the power to shape markets and impact the lives of millions of people. They often engage in philanthropy, establishing charitable foundations and donating substantial sums to various causes, such as education, healthcare, and environmental conservation.

^{1. Elon Musk}

^{2. Bernard Arnault}

^{3. Jeff Bezos}

^{4. Bill Gates}

^{5. Larry Ellison}

^{6. Steve Ballmer}

^{7. Warren Buffett}

^{8. Larry Page}

^{9. Sergey Brin}

^{10. Mark Zuckerberg}

1. Elon Musk

Net worth: $230.2 B

Source: Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter

Age: 51

Residence: Austin, Texas

Citizenship: U.S.

Elon Musk, a visionary entrepreneur, holds the positions of CEO in multiple prominent companies. He is at the helm of Tesla, an electric car company leading the industry’s innovation, SpaceX, a pioneering aerospace manufacturer, and Twitter, a widely used social media platform. Musk’s ownership in Tesla encompasses 23% of the company’s stocks and options. However, he has pledged over half of his stock as collateral for loans. Tesla represents a significant portion of his wealth, accounting for approximately two-thirds of his fortune.

In a notable move, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, solidifying his presence in the social media sphere. He currently possesses an estimated 74% ownership stake in the company. It is worth mentioning that the current value of Twitter is less than half of the amount he initially paid for it, indicating a decline in its market value.

During the period between May 1, 2023, and June 1, 2023, Musk’s fortune experienced a remarkable increase of $27.5 billion. This notable surge can largely be attributed to the substantial rise of over 25% in Tesla’s share price during that timeframe.

2. Bernard Arnault

Net worth: $215.1 B

Source: LVMH/ luxury goods

Age: 74

Residence: Paris

Citizenship: France

Bernard Arnault serves as the CEO and chairman of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company boasting approximately 70 esteemed fashion and cosmetics brands. LVMH’s portfolio includes renowned names such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Sephora. In a significant move in January 2021, LVMH successfully acquired the prestigious jeweler Tiffany & Co. for a staggering $15.8 billion.

Arnault’s path to success was partially facilitated by his father’s prosperous construction business. Utilizing a portion of his family’s wealth, Arnault invested $15 million to acquire Christian Dior, which marked his initial foray into the luxury goods industry.

Remarkably, all five of Arnault’s children are involved in various sectors of the LVMH empire. Notably, in January 2023, he appointed his daughter Delphine to lead Dior, the second-largest brand within the group, showcasing the family’s continued dedication to the business.

3. Jeff Bezos

Net worth: $143.3 B

Source: Amazon

Age: 59

Residence: Medina, Washington

Citizenship: U.S.

Jeff Bezos, the renowned entrepreneur and business magnate, made headlines when he stepped down as the CEO of Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth he founded, in July 2021. However, he continues to serve as the chairman of the company. In that same month, Bezos embarked on a journey to space aboard a rocket developed by Blue Origin, his private rocket company that he has generously funded with billions of dollars. Between May 1 and June 1, 2023, Bezos witnessed a significant increase in his fortune, with a rise of nearly $16 billion.

Bezos laid the foundation for his remarkable success when he established Amazon.com in his garage in Seattle back in 1994. Prior to that, he had departed from his position at the hedge fund D.E. Shaw in New York. Amazon initially began as an online bookseller, a bold endeavor in a time when online retail was still in its nascent stages. However, under Bezos’ leadership, Amazon quickly expanded its offerings and came to dominate various sectors, including cloud storage services, and ventured into movie and series production to fuel the growth of Amazon Prime Video.

In July 2017, Bezos surpassed Bill Gates to become the wealthiest person in the world, with both individuals occasionally swapping positions at the top of the wealth rankings. Bezos consistently held the title of the world’s richest person on Forbes’ list of the World’s Billionaires from 2018 through 2021, but slipped to the second spot in the 2022 edition. Subsequently, he dropped to fourth place, only to reclaim the third position on January 25, 2023, after the fortune of India’s Gautam Adani, formerly the third richest, experienced a decline.

4. Bill Gates

Net worth: $160 B

Source: Microsoft

Age: 67

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S.

During his time at Harvard University in 1975, Bill Gates seized an opportunity to collaborate with his childhood friend Paul Allen on developing innovative software for microcomputers. Their project proved successful, prompting Gates to make a pivotal decision. He dropped out of Harvard during his junior year and, together with Allen, founded Microsoft.

Microsoft, now the largest software company in the world, has a diverse product lineup. Alongside its renowned software offerings, Microsoft also manufactures personal computers, operates email services through its exchange server, and produces video game systems and related devices. In recent years, the company has made substantial investments in cloud services, reflecting its commitment to this rapidly expanding sector.

In 2008, Gates transitioned from his role as CEO of Microsoft to that of board chair. Furthermore, in 2004, he joined the board of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate. However, on March 13, 2020, Gates stepped down from both board positions, marking a significant change in his professional responsibilities.

5. Larry Ellison

Net worth: $118 B

Source: Oracle

Age: 78

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S.

Larry Ellison, hailing from New York City, was born to a single mother at the age of 19. His path to success took a different turn when he made the decision to drop out of the University of Chicago in 1966. Ellison subsequently relocated to California and embarked on a career as a computer programmer. In 1973, he secured a position at Ampex, an electronics company, where he crossed paths with his future partners Ed Oates and Bob Miner. Ellison’s next career move led him to Precision Instruments, where he assumed the role of vice president of research and development.

In 1977, Ellison, Oates, and Miner joined forces to establish Software Development Laboratories (SDL). The company’s groundbreaking achievement came two years later when they released Oracle, the first commercially available relational database program utilizing Structured Query Language (SQL). Oracle quickly gained popularity and led to the renaming of SDL to Oracle Systems Corporation in 1982, solidifying its commitment to the database software industry. After an impressive tenure of 37 years, Ellison stepped down from his role as CEO of Oracle in 2014.

6. Steve Ballmer

Net worth: $115 B

Source: Los Angeles Clippers

Age: 67

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S.

Steve Ballmer’s journey with Microsoft began in 1980 when he joined the company at the invitation of Bill Gates, who persuaded him to drop out of Stanford University’s MBA program. As Microsoft’s 30th employee, Ballmer became an integral part of the company’s early growth and development. His dedication and contributions led to his eventual appointment as Microsoft CEO in 2000, succeeding Gates himself. Ballmer held the CEO position for 14 years until his departure in 2014.

During his tenure as CEO, Ballmer oversaw several significant milestones for Microsoft. One notable achievement was the company’s acquisition of Skype in 2011 for a substantial sum of $8.5 billion. This strategic move aimed to bolster Microsoft’s presence in the realm of communication and digital connectivity.

Notably, Ballmer also holds a significant stake in Microsoft, estimated to be around 4%, making him the largest individual shareholder in the software giant. This substantial ownership reflects his enduring commitment and continued belief in the company’s potential.

7. Steve Ballmer

Net worth: $113 B

Source: Berkshire Hathaway

Age: 92

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S.

The most famous living value investor, Warren Buffett filed his first tax return in 1944 at age 14, declaring earnings from his boyhood paper route. He first bought shares in a textile company called Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, becoming the majority shareholder by 1965. Buffett expanded the company’s holdings to insurance and other investments in 1967.51

Widely known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett is a buy-and-hold investor who built his fortune by acquiring undervalued companies. More recently, Berkshire Hathaway has invested in large, well-known companies. Its portfolio of wholly owned subsidiaries includes interests in insurance, energy distribution, and railroads as well as consumer products.

8. Larry Page

Net worth: $112 B

Source: Alphabet

Age: 50

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S

Like several of the tech billionaires on this list, Larry Page embarked on his path to fame and fortune in a college dorm room. While attending Stanford University in 1995, Page and his friend Sergey Brin came up with the idea of improving Internet data extraction. The duo devised a new search engine technology they dubbed Backrub after its ability to assess links to a page.

From there, Page and Brin went on to found Google in 1998, with Page serving as CEO of the company until 2001, and again between 2011 and 2019.5960

Google is the world’s dominant Internet search engine, accounting for more than 92% of global search requests. In 2006, the company purchased YouTube, the top platform for user-submitted videos.

9. Sergey Brin

Net worth: $106 B

Source: Alphabet

Age: 49

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S

Sergey Brin was born in Moscow, Russia, moving to the U.S. with his family when he was six in 1979. After co-founding Google with Larry Page in 1998, Brin became Google’s president of technology when Eric Schmidt took over as CEO in 2001. He held the same post at the Alphabet holding company after it was established in 2015, stepping down in 2019 when Sundar Pichai took over as CEO.

10. Mark Zuckerberg

Net worth: $99 B

Source: Meta Platforms

Age: 39

Residence: United States

Citizenship: U.S

Mark Zuckerberg’s entrepreneurial journey took flight during his time at Harvard University in 2004. Alongside his fellow students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, Zuckerberg developed what was then known as Facebook (now Meta). Initially intended for use within Harvard, Facebook quickly gained traction and expanded to other universities. Recognizing the immense potential of his creation, Zuckerberg made the pivotal decision to drop out of Harvard and fully dedicate himself to building his rapidly growing business.

Today, Zuckerberg assumes the roles of CEO and chair at Meta, the company behind Facebook. With an impressive user base of 3 billion monthly active users as of Q1 2023, Meta has solidified its position as the world’s largest social networking service. It has revolutionized the way people connect, share information, and interact online.

While Facebook itself is free to use for its users, the company generates the majority of its revenue through advertising. This business model has proven successful, allowing Facebook to continually innovate, expand its services, and provide valuable experiences to its massive user base.

Mark Zuckerberg’s visionary leadership has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of Meta. From its humble beginnings as a college networking platform, Facebook has evolved into a global phenomenon, reshaping the landscape of social media. Zuckerberg’s unwavering dedication and strategic decisions have propelled Meta’s expansion, solidifying its influential position in the digital world.