The identities of the top 10 richest people globally, shedding light on
their remarkable accomplishments, entrepreneurial aptitude, and
profound influence on the global economy. This ranked list is sourced
from Forbes
1. Elon Musk
Age: 53
Residence: Boca Chica, Texas
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $243.7
Elon
Musk is now the richest person and man in the world. He is the CEO of
several prominent companies, including electric car manufacturer Tesla
and space exploration company SpaceX. He currently possesses a 13 percent stake in Tesla.
A significant portion of his wealth, around two-thirds, is tied to the
success of Tesla. Musk made headlines in October 2022 when he purchased
Twitter for $44 billion.
Musk, the world's richest person, led
Tesla to its initial public offering in 2010. The company experienced
significant growth in market capitalisation during 2020 and 2021,
propelling Musk to the position of the world's top 10 richest people in
September 2021. At its peak in November 2021, Musk's fortune reached an astounding $320 billion.
2. Jeff Bezos
Age: 60
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $197.0
Jeff
Bezos, the second richest person in the world, decided to give up his
role as CEO of the ecommerce powerhouse Amazon in July 2021, while still
maintaining his position as chairman. During the same month, he
embarked on a space voyage aboard a rocket developed by Blue Origin, a private space exploration company he established and generously funded with billions of dollars.
3. Bernard Arnault & Family
Age: 75
Residence: Paris
Citizenship: France
Net worth (in $ Billions): $189.4
Bernard
Arnault, the third richest person in the world, is the CEO and chairman
at Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), the world's largest luxury goods
company encompassing 75 renowned fashion and cosmetics brands.
Notable names within its portfolio include Louis Vuitton, Christian
Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Sephora. In January 2021, LVMH completed
the acquisition of jeweller Tiffany & Co. for a staggering $15.8
billion.
Arnault's five children contribute to various sectors
within the expansive LVMH empire. In January 2023, he appointed his
daughter Delphine to lead Dior, the group's second-largest brand.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
Age: 40
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $180.5
Mark
Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, started its flagship
social media platform Facebook in 2004 when he was only 19. He was a
computer science and psychology student at Harvard University. Facebook
was created to match the names of students on campus with their photos.
In 2006, Facebook opened to everyone at least 13 years old with a valid
email address.
In May 2012, Zuckerberg took the company public,
and by December 2016, he was ranked 10th on the Forbes list of The
World's Most Powerful People. Currently, Zuckerberg owns about 13.68 percent of stake in Meta Platforms.
The 39-year-old techie is married to Priscilla Chan and is a father of three daughters. Together with his wife, he is spending $3 billion in an attempt to end, cure or manage all diseases by the year 2100.
5. Larry Ellison
Age: 80
Residence: Manalapan, Florida
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $174.7
Larry
Ellison co-founded the software firm Oracle in 1977 and held the
position of its CEO until 2014. Currently, he assumes the company's
executive chairman and Chief Technology Officer roles. In 2012, Ellison
made headlines when he acquired the Hawaiian island of Lanai for a sum
of $300 million. Ellison also ventured into investments at
Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Quark Biotechnology Inc. and Astex
Pharmaceuticals.
6. Warren Buffett
Age: 93
Residence: Omaha, Nebraska
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions):
$149.9
Warren
Buffett, widely recognised as the "Oracle of Omaha," is one of
history's most accomplished investors. He is the head of Berkshire
Hathaway, an investment conglomerate with a diverse portfolio
encompassing numerous companies,insurance provider Geico, battery
manufacturer Duracell, Apple, Nu Holdings and restaurant chain Dairy
Queen.
In 2010, Buffett and Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates established the Giving Pledge initiative,
which urges billionaires to donate at least 50 percent of their wealth
to charitable organisations. Demonstrating his unwavering philanthropic
commitment, Buffett has expressed his intention to donate 99 percent of
his fortune.
7. Bill Gates
Age: 68
Residence: Medina, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $137.9
In
1987, Forbes first recognised Gates as a billionaire. From 1995 to
2017, he maintained the title of the world's richest person, with brief
exceptions in 2008 and from 2010 to 2013. In 2021, Gates and Melinda
French Gates finalised their divorce, with Melinda receiving at least $6
billion in stocks as part of the settlement. After running Microsoft
for 25 years, Gates turned his attention to philanthropic ventures. Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation began working in India in 2003, and with
its Avahan initiative for HIV prevention, it is estimated to have prevented 6,00,000 new infections.
8. Larry Page
Age: 51
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $136.1
Larry
Page and his fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin co-founded Google
in 1998. Initially, Page held the position of CEO until 2001 and later
resumed the role from 2011 to 2015.
He remains a member of the
board of Alphabet, Google's parent company, and retains significant
control over the company as a major shareholder. Additionally, Page
played a vital role as a founding investor in Planetary Resources, a company that is planning to mine resources from asteroids and other planetary bodies.
9. Sergey Brin
Age: 50
Residence: Los Altos, California
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $130.4
Alongside
his Stanford PhD colleague, Larry Page, Sergey Brin played a pivotal
role in establishing the Google search engine in 1998. Originally from
Russia, Brin initially held the position of technology president at
Google and later transitioned to overseeing special projects, including
the development of Google Glass, a wearable device featuring
voice-activated "smart glasses." Currently, Brin serves as a board
member of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, while retaining a
significant controlling stake in the company.
10. Steve Ballmer
Age: 68
Residence: Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship: US
Net worth (in $ Billions): $122.5
Steve
Ballmer, a Harvard University classmate of Bill Gates, assumed the CEO
role at Microsoft from 2000 to 2014. His journey with Microsoft began in
1980 when he joined as the company's 30th employee, having dropped out
of the MBA at Stanford University.
In the same year that Ballmer retired from Microsoft, he made headlines by acquiring the
Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for a staggering $2 billion,
setting a new benchmark for the highest price paid for an NBA team at
that time.
