Billionaires have a big impact on the world in terms of economy, politics, and charity. According to latest data, there were 2,640 billionaires worldwide in 2024. The richest one is Elon Musk, who heads Tesla and SpaceX, and owns X (previously known as Twitter).
These people are part of a very exclusive group and hold even more impact. A lot of them started huge technology companies. However most of their wealth tied up in those companies.
However, these billionaires can still borrow money using their wealth as collateral. Moreover they do this instead of selling their stocks. This helps them delay paying taxes on the gains they have made. They can also use various tax deductions to lower the amount of income they report. Some of them do not pay any income tax in certain years.
The richest people have a lot of their wealth in publicly traded stocks. As a result, their net worth fluctuates with the market valuations of the companies they own. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the following are the 10 wealthiest people on the planet. However, all these figures are current as of Feb. 1, 2024.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, aged 52, lives in the United States. He serves as CEO of tesla. The total wealth of Elon Musk is $202 billion. Moreover, his stake in Tesla is 13%, worth $77 billion. And he owns 79% of X, valued at $8.37 billion. Moreover, he also has other assets like Space Exploration Technologies, worth $71.2 billion, and The Boring Company, valued at $3.33 billion.
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault, aged 74, lives in France. He is the CEO and Chair of LVMH. His total wealth is $183 billion. Moreover, Arnault owns 97.5% of Christian Dior, valued at $140 billion. He also has other assets including Moelis & Company equity which is worth of $28.4 billion and $14.8 billion in cash.
Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos, aged 60, lives in the United States. He is the founder and Executive Chair of Amazon. However, his total wealth is $180 billion. Bezos owns a 10% stake in Amazon, valued at $153 billion. He also has other assets worth $11.2 billion, including Blue Origin. He also owns The Washington Post, valued at $250 million, and Koru, valued at $500 million. Additionally, he has $15.1 billion in cash.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates, aged 68, resides in the United States. He is a co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT). However, the net worth of Bill Gates is $144 billion, with a 1.4% stake in Microsoft valued at $25.7 billion. He also holds $69.1 billion in cash and investments across various other companies, totaling billions more.
Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg, aged 39, lives in the United States. He is the CEO and Chair of Meta Platforms (META). Moreover, his net worth is $141 billion, with a 13% stake in Meta Platforms valued at $136 billion. Additionally, he holds $4.35 billion in cash.
Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer, aged 67, resides in the United States. He is the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. Furthermore, his net worth is $138 billion, with a 4% stake in Microsoft valued at $127 billion. Additionally, he owns the Los Angeles Clippers, valued at $4.56 billion. He also owns The Forum, valued at $400 million, and Intuit Dome, valued at $2 billion. Additionally, he holds $3.80 billion in cash.
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett, aged 93, resides in the United States. He serves as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A). However, his net worth is $128 billion. He owns 15% of Berkshire Hathaway, worth $126 billion. Additionally, he holds $1.38 billion in cash.
Larry Page
Larry Page, aged 50, resides in the United States. He is a co-founder and board member of Alphabet (GOOG). Moreover, his net worth is $127 billion, with a 6% ownership stake in Alphabet valued at $109.8 billion. Additionally, he holds $17.4 billion in cash.
Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison, aged 79, resides in the United States. He serves as the co-founder, Chair, and CTO of Oracle (ORCL). The net worth of Larry Ellison is $126 billion, with an ownership stake of over 42% in Oracle, valued at $93.7 billion. Additionally, he has Tesla equity worth $8.43 billion and holds $23.6 billion in cash.
