By Alusine Fullah
Most people have role models or people they look up to for inspiration. For some, this list may include public figures like athletes, musicians, artists, scientists, a personal acquaintance or a family member.
However, there is one list that always gets people’s attention. The world’s wealthiest individuals show what is possible through hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurship
With a combined total wealth of 1.42 trillion dollars, as it stands, these are the top 10 richest people in the world:
- Elon Musk: Net worth: $219 billion South African born American entrepreneur Elon Musk tops the list of the richest person in the world. Besides being CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk also owns X.com and Neuralink.
Most of his wealth is tied to the success of Tesla. The company’s stock has soared in recent years, making Musk’s 13% stake in Tesla worth at least $90 billion. He also has a significant stake in SpaceX. At his peak in Nov 2021, Musk was worth $320 billion!
- Bernard Arnault: Net worth: $171 billion. Bernard Arnault is a French businessman, chairman, and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury goods company. Arnault’s wealth comes from his ownership of LVMH, which owns a portfolio of luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hennessy, and Moët & Chandon. He acquired his stake in LVMH in the 1980s and has since overseen its expansion into a global powerhouse.
Both Arnault and Musk have been battling for the top spot, with the two swapping places based on the performance of their companies. In December 2022, Arnault briefly overtook Musk as the world’s richest person, but Musk quickly regained the top spot.
- Jeff Bezos: Net worth: $169 billion. Jeff Bezos is an American entrepreneur and the founder and executive chairman of Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer. Bezos’ wealth is attributed to Amazon, in which he has a significant stake, becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Bezos has also invested in a number of other companies, including Blue Origin and The Washington Post. Bezos held the world’s richest person title from 2017 to 2021, with his net worth peaking at an estimated $212 billion in 2020, making him the first person to be worth more than $200 billion.
- Bill Gates: Net worth: $133 billion. Bill Gates is an American business magnate. Most people know him as the co-founder of Microsoft, the world’s largest software company by revenue. Like most people on this list, Gates’s wealth is attributed to his 1.3% stake in the company worth an estimated $25 billion. Over the years, he has donated a significant amount (over $59 billion) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve global health, education, and reduce poverty. Gates held the world’s richest person title from 1995 to 2007.
- Larry Ellison: Net worth: $129 billion. Larry Ellison is an American entrepreneur, co-founder, former CEO and chairman of the executive board of Oracle Corporation. Ellison owns a 42.9% stake in Oracle, worth an estimated $100 billion. Besides Oracle, Ellison is a major investor in real estate and owns several homes in California and Hawaii. Ellison’s journey to begin when he founded Oracle in 1977 with just $1,200 in seed money after dropping out of college to pursue a career in programming.
- Steve Ballmer: Net worth: $128 billion. Steve Ballmer is an American billionaire businessman and investor who served as the chief executive officer of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014.Ballmer owns a significant stake in Microsoft stock, which is his primary source of wealth. In fact, he is the largest individual shareholder in the company, with a stake of approximately 4%. He also owns the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team who play in the NBA.
- Larry page: Larry Page is an American internet entrepreneur and computer scientist who co-founded Google with Sergey Brin. He owns a 6% stake in Alphabet (Google’s parent company) stock, which is his primary source of wealth. Page was the CEO of Google from 1997 to 2001 and again of Alphabet Inc from 2011 to 2015.In 2004, Page became the youngest billionaire in the world at the age of 29 (later to be surpassed by Mark Zuckerberg just a few years later).
- Mark Zuckerberg: Mark Zuckerberg is an American internet entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, formerly known as Facebook. Zuckerberg owns a significant stake in Meta Platforms stock, which is his primary source of wealth. He is the largest individual shareholder in the company, with a stake of approximately 13%. He also has a significant stake in Meta Platforms’ other assets, such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
In 2008, Zuckerberg became the youngest billionaire in the world at the age of 23. Despite his wealth, Zuckerberg is known for his simple lifestyle and his focus on social impact.
- Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett s an American investor, business magnate, and philanthropist. He is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a diversified holding company.
Buffett owns a significant stake in Berkshire Hathaway stock, which is his primary source of wealth. He is the largest individual shareholder in the company. Buffett is known for his long-term investment strategy, also known as “value investing.” He focuses on identifying companies with strong fundamentals and buying their stock at a price that is below its intrinsic value.
- Sergei Brin: Sergey Brin is an American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur who co-founded Google with Larry Page. Brin’s wealth is largely tied to the success of Alphabet. The company has a diversified portfolio of products and services, including Google Search, YouTube, and Android.
Brin is known for his unconventional lifestyle and his focus on innovation. He is also a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and has been a vocal advocate for its responsible development.
Credit: Binocular and CNN Online
