Elon Musk Shatters the Wealth Ceiling
Elon Musk has achieved what no human being ever has before. His net worth crossed the $700 billion mark in early January 2026, primarily from his ownership stakes in SpaceX and Tesla. Let’s be real, when you see someone reach that level of wealth, it’s hard to even comprehend the scale. Since 2020, Musk’s wealth has grown by a factor of nearly 30, driven by the skyrocketing valuation of both his companies.
Among Musk’s largest sources of wealth is his $366 billion stake in SpaceX, which is currently valued at $800 billion. The space company isn’t even publicly traded yet, which is honestly the most remarkable part. A new pay package for Tesla could award him nearly $1 trillion in shares, and a potential SpaceX IPO could value the space company at $1.5 trillion, bringing Musk closer to the $1 trillion wealth threshold.
Larry Page’s Surprising Surge to Second Place
Larry Page has had a good last 12 months, climbing from seventh to second in the rich list with wealth totalling $258.3 billion. I think it caught many people off guard how quickly the Google cofounder jumped up the rankings. Alphabet was the top performing Magnificent 7 stock in 2025 with gains of 65.2 percent, which catapulted both Page and his fellow cofounder into the stratosphere.
Page cofounded Google way back in 1998, and since then, he’s basically watched the money multiply exponentially. According to Bloomberg, as of January 15, 2026, Larry Page holds a net worth of $287 billion. The shift shows just how volatile these rankings can be, where even someone worth hundreds of billions can move several spots in a single year.
Jeff Bezos Remains a Titan Despite Falling Behind
According to Forbes, as of December 2025, Bezos’s estimated net worth is US$239.4 billion, making him the fourth richest person in the world. Here’s the thing, though. Bezos was the wealthiest person from 2017 to 2021, dominating the rankings for years. Bezos owns about 8.3 percent of Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, according to a November 2025 company filing, which continues to be the backbone of his fortune.
Yet despite his immense wealth, Bezos has been outpaced by tech rivals recently. Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Larry Ellison have all outpaced him in gaining wealth over the last year or so. Still, owning nearly one tenth of Amazon, plus Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and extensive real estate means Bezos isn’t hurting financially anytime soon.
Sergey Brin Rides the Alphabet Wave
Sergey Brin, the other Google cofounder, has a net worth of $267 billion as of January 15, 2026. Brin and Page have always been linked together in wealth discussions, given they built Alphabet side by side. Both have added roughly $100 billion to each of their fortunes over the same period, with Brin jumping from 10th to fourth place in the Bloomberg rankings.
What strikes me is how these two men have managed to maintain such incredible wealth decades after founding Google. Their dual class share structure gives them significant control, much like Zuckerberg’s setup at Meta. The tech landscape rewards founders who keep control and ride the waves of innovation.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Fortune Fluctuates
According to Forbes, Zuckerberg’s estimated net worth stood at US$220 billion as of December 2025. The Meta CEO has seen his wealth swing dramatically over recent years, tied directly to Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp’s performance. The majority of Zuckerberg’s fortune is derived from a stake of about 13 percent in Meta Platforms, meaning every time Meta stock moves, so does his net worth.
Zuckerberg has grown $23 billion wealthier in under 15 months, yet he’s dropped four places on the global rich list because other tech titans gained wealth even faster. While the rest of the top four in Bloomberg’s ranking saw losses, Zuckerberg increased his net worth by $17.3 billion since the beginning of 2025. Honestly, it’s wild to think someone can gain $23 billion and still fall in the rankings.
Bernard Arnault’s Luxury Empire Faces Headwinds
As of December 2025, Bernard Arnault has an estimated net worth of US$190.4 billion according to Forbes. The French billionaire controls LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company, owning iconic brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moët. The majority of Arnault’s fortune is derived from a 48 percent stake in LVMH, held through his 97.5 percent ownership of publicly traded Christian Dior.
Arnault’s net worth has been fluctuating heavily throughout 2025, bleeding billions since March, plummeting to lows of $148 billion in April and $146 billion in June, losing $63 billion from January’s high. The luxury market has been unstable, with tariffs and changing consumer preferences impacting LVMH’s performance. Bernard Arnault has slipped from fourth to seventh place, despite gaining $11 billion to reach a net worth of $204 billion.
The Collective Power of Billionaire Wealth
Together, the top 10 billionaires ended 2025 worth $2.55 trillion, which would rank as the fifth largest company in the world, now worth more than Meta Platforms and Walmart combined. Think about that for a second. Ten individuals hold more wealth than two of the biggest corporations in existence. The world’s billionaires, about 3,030 individuals, represent almost $16 trillion in wealth, with the global billionaire population continuing to grow in 2026, increasing by 5 percent.
From Elon Musk to Jensen Huang, the top 20 billionaires collectively control more wealth than France’s entire GDP. The concentration of wealth at the very top has reached levels never seen before in human history, raising questions about economic inequality and power dynamics. What would you have guessed the collective wealth to be? Did you expect that?
