The rivalry never ends among the billionaires to take the top spot for the richest person in the world- with the five richest people in the world having a combined net worth of $949 billion.
We can begin with a teaser- David Beckham and Kim Kardashian don’t make the cut despite their impressive net worth, while Taylor Swift has recently debuted on the billionaires' billboard.
And some of these billionaires were recently spotted at Anant Ambani's pre-wedding bash - the son of Asia's richest man, Mukesh Ambani.
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You can expect to see entrepreneurs who show vision, leadership and have led innovation, including the masterminds behind big tech firms such as Microsoft and social media giant X, formerly known as Twitter.
Here’s a countdown of the five richest people in the world, based on Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
5. Bill Gates
Bill Gates takes the fifth spot, with a net worth of $153 billion. His fortune mainly comes from co-founding one of the biggest tech firms out there, Microsoft Corporation in 1975, with Paul Allen.
Gates held the title of the richest person in the world back in the 1990s and early 2000s when Microsoft was at its peak. During that time, the tech company released a series of products including Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office and the Xbox console, which continue to play a big role in the modern world.
Find out how Gates became the name behind one of the biggest tech tycoons and why he is known for his selfless nature.
4. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg is behind the world’s most popular social media channels- Facebook (now Meta), Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp.
According to the Bloomberg Index, Zuckerberg’s net worth is a whopping $180 billion. Most of his wealth comes from his acquisitions of Instagram (bought for $1billion) and WhatsApp which he bought for $19 billion for WhatsApp.
Threads is the latest addition to Instagram, which now competes with Musk’s ‘X’.
Zuckerberg’s wealth is linked to Meta stocks. In the final two months of 2023, he sold shares amounting to nearly half a billion dollars.
The Meta CEO also has ambitious plans for a breakthrough in artificial general intelligence. Read more on how Facebook became Meta and Zuckerberg’s rivalry with Elon Musk.
3. Elon Musk
Although the name Elon Musk comes with controversy, he was previously the richest person in the world. Musk has a net worth of $183 billion- down from $219 billion at the end of 2023.
The entrepreneur is the face behind some of the most genius ideas and ground-breaking businesses, including Tesla, SpaceX and ‘X,’ formerly known as Twitter.
Due to the billionaire’s fearless personality, he made some controversial decisions on the social media site, such as unblocking Donald Trump and Andrew Tate. He has now rebranded Twitter to ‘X’.
More recently, Musk acquired Twitter with a 9% stake in the business- making him the largest shareholder in the company.
Find out how Musk created Tesla and a more in-depth look into how he built his fortune.
2. Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos takes second place as the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $205 billion, surpassing Zuckerberg, Gates and Musk.
The billionaire is most famous for founding Amazon in 1994. It all started when Bezos saw a gap in the market for e-commerce, and he started to sell books online, working out of his garage.
Due to his commitment to good customer service and savvy marketing, Amazon was publicly listed in 1997 which acted as the catalyst for Bezos’ billionaire title. Now, Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer with greater offerings, from movies and music.
Find out more about factors that contributed to Jeff Bezos’ net worth.
1. Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault’s luxurious empire has made him billions, and it's no surprise that he ranks as the richest person in the world. The businessman is one of the largest shareholders of LVMH- a company that owns luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior.
He has a net worth of $228 billion, according to the Bloomberg Index. Arnault started as a young entrepreneur who inherited his father's construction company in 1971. He sold this company and used the money to fund the acquisition of Christian Dior in 1985.
The businessman realised the power of economies of scale and decided to merge several luxury goods brands under one roof. These big names now sit under the conglomerate, LVMH.
Read more on how China’s economy played a big role in the transformation of luxury products, and the rise of Arnault’s LVMH.
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