The rise of tech fortunes
Among the main beneficiaries of this boom were the technology titans. Only eight of them, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jensen Huangthey added collectively 600 billion dollars to their assets.
Musk led the list with extraordinary growth in his personal fortune, which closed the year at $442.1 billionan increase of more than 213 billion compared to early 2024. This growth was driven by strong earnings from Tesla, SpaceX and their artificial intelligence company xAIin addition to his close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, which strengthened confidence in his projects.
Zuckerberg, for his part, saw Meta Platforms shares rise a 70% in the year, which increased his wealth in 81 billion dollarsdespite regulatory fines and controversies related to its investments in artificial intelligence.
Other key winners
- Jensen HuangCEO of Nvidia, he added 76 billion dollars thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, with an increase in the market value of your company.
- The co-founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brinand other tech moguls like Larry Ellison and Jeff Bezos They also saw significant increases in their fortunes.
- In the cryptocurrency space, billionaires like Changpeng Zhao (Binance) and Brian Armstrong (Coinbase) benefited from the renaissance of digital assets, with Bitcoin surpassing the mark of $100,000 for the first time.
An unstoppable market
The S&P 500 index experienced an increase of 24% in 2024, driven largely by calls “Magnificent Seven”: tech giants that accounted for more than half of the index’s performance. Trump’s election victory in November marked a turning point, with an acceleration in gains for technology stocks and renewed optimism in financial markets.
The other faces of success
Despite widespread growth, some sectors and billionaires faced significant losses:
- Bernard Arnault and other leaders of French luxury suffered a combined setback of 71 billion dollarsdue to the slowdown in the luxury market in China.
- Carlos Slimthe Mexican tycoon, lost 26 billion dollarsaffected by the depreciation of the Mexican peso and political uncertainty in his country.
- Colin Huangfounder of the e-commerce platform Temu, lost 18 billion after an abrupt drop in his company’s shares.
A mixed outlook for the future
While 2024 was a year of consolidation for many billionaires, it also posed challenges. The strength of the dollar, trade tensions and political changes, especially with the Trump presidency, generated uncertainty in some sectors.
Experts point out that the year 2025 could mark a new chapter, with a more regulatory focus on the cryptocurrency and technology markets, accompanied by a possible rebound in the sectors that lagged this year.
The top 10 billionaires at the beginning of 2025: Elon Musk leads a ranking dominated by technology
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index presented the list of the richest people in the world at the beginning of 2025, with Elon Musk leading a group marked by fortunes linked to technological innovation and luxury consumer goods. Musk, with an estimated fortune of 432 billion dollarsis far ahead of the rest of the billionaires on the planet.
1. Elon Musk: Unprecedented leadership
The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and the social network 203 billion dollars in 2024. Its success is attributed to the advancement of Tesla, the expansion of Starlink with more than 7,000 satellites in orbit, and its foray into artificial intelligence with xAI. Musk has been a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, strengthening market confidence in his companies.
2. Jeff Bezos: Amazon as an undisputed giant
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is in second place with a fortune of $239 billion. Your company continues to dominate e-commerce, cloud services and streaming, generating revenue by $574.8 billion in 2023. Furthermore, his personal story and business vision continue to be emblematic in the business world.
3. Mark Zuckerberg: Goal and sustained growth
The founder of Meta Platforms, which includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is in third place with 207 billion dollars. The company, which has more than 4 billion monthly usersbenefited from a strong economic recovery and an increase in its share price.
4. Larry Ellison: Technology and diversification
Ellison, creator of Oracle, occupies fourth position with 192 billion dollars. In addition to leading one of the largest software companies, he owns stakes in Tesla and a number of diversified assets, including the Indian Wells tennis tournament and the island of Lanai in Hawaii.
5. Bernard Arnault: French luxury in the top 5
The mogul behind LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is the only non-American in the top five. His fortune reaches 176 billion dollarssupported by brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dom Pérignon. However, the luxury sector faces challenges, especially in the Chinese market.
The rest of the ranking: Dominated by technology giants
6. Larry Page and 8. Sergey Brin
The co-founders of Google, with fortunes of 168 billion and 158 billion respectively, they stand out for their role in Alphabet, whose diversification includes YouTube, Android and cloud services.
7. Bill Gates
With 159 billion dollarsGates continues to expand his investments through Cascade Investment and lead philanthropic initiatives such as the Giving Pledge. His legacy at Microsoft remains influential.
9. Steve Ballmer
Former CEO of Microsoft and current owner of the LA Clippers, he has a net worth of 147 billion dollars. Its success reflects Microsoft’s lasting impact on technology and business.
10. Warren Buffett
Close the list with 142 billion dollars. His leadership at Berkshire Hathaway continues to be a reference in the world of investments, with stakes in companies such as Coca-Cola and American Express.
The technological impact and the future
The ranking shows a clear trend towards the accumulation of wealth in technological and digital sectors. Elon Musk is leading an economic transformation in which innovation, asset diversification and global economic policies will play a key role in the future of these fortunes.
Source: Ambito
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
