Top 20 richest people in the world: some interesting facts about the list
he list of the world’s richest persons can vary from year to year depending on their latest net worth and financial performance. Here is the latest list of the world’s top 20 richest persons and some interesting facts about each of them based on the Forbes list and data taken on 06 April 2022.
1. Elon Musk – $290.3 billion
Elon Musk is working to revolutionise transportation both on Earth, through electric car maker Tesla – and in space, via rocket producer SpaceX. Elon Musk’s electric car company Tesla is now valued at nearly $800 billion, currently, his net worth is $290.3 billion. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX is now valued at nearly $100 billion. Tesla has become the world’s most valuable automaker with a market capitalisation of $800 billion in October 2021.
2. Jeff Bezos – $189.8 billion
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $189.8 billion and ranks as the second richest person on the earth today. His position remains the same even after divorcing his wife MacKenzie in 2019 and transferring a quarter of his stake in Amazon to her. Bezos founded the behemoth Amazon in 1994 out of his garage in Seattle. The e-commerce giant has reaped the benefits of this coronavirus pandemic, with more people shopping online.
3. Bernard Arnault & Family – $175.9 billion
LVMH – France Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault is the third richest person on the earth today . His net worth is $175.9 billion resulting from his business across an empire of more than 70 brands including Louis Vuitton and Sephora. French businessman and Europe’s richest man Bernard Arnault earned the $100 billion fortune last year in December.
4. Bill Gates – $135 billion
The cofounder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates has a net worth of $135 billion. Having founded the software giant Microsoft along with Paul Allen, Bill Gates eventually sold away much of his stakes in the company retaining just 1% of the shares and investing the rest in stocks and other assets. Bill Gates entered the $100 billion club last year in April when Microsoft share price surged post-earnings. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the world’s largest private charitable foundation.
5. Warren Buffet – $124.2 billion
Popularly known as the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet is seen as one of the most successful investors of all times. He runs Berkshire Hathaway that owns over 60 companies including the famous ones Geico insurance, Duracell, Dairy Queen Restaurant. His net worth is $124.2 billion. The son of a US congressman, he bought his first stock at the age of 11.
6. Larry Page – $119 billion
Larry Page, the cofounder of Google has a net worth of $119 billion and ranks in the sixth position among the world’s richest persons. He has also invested in Planetary Resources, the famed space exploration company, and is also funding “Flying Car”, startup companies Kitty Hawk and Opener.
7. Larry Ellison – $116.2 billion
Larry Ellison has a net worth of $116.2 billion which he earned from Oracle, the software firm he cofounded in 1977. He quit as the CEO of the company in 2014 and since then he functions as the chairman of the board and chief technology advisor of the company. Ellison has also been on the board of Tesla since December 2018 after he purchased 3 million shares earlier that year. He owns nearly all of Hawaiian island Lanai.
8. Sergey Brin — $114.3 billion
The co-founder and board member of Alphabet, Sergey Brin has a net worth of $114.3 billion which ranks him in the eight position among the world’s richest persons. He co-founded Google along with Larry Page in 1998 which went public in 2004 and became Alphabet in 2015.
9.Gautam Adani and family – $113.3 billion
Promoter of the Adani Group, Gautam Adani has segregated his multimillion business fortune into energy, logistics, agriculture, aerospace and other sectors. The Adani Group is a multinational conglomerate dealing with port operations and developments in India, making Adani the richest man in Asia.
10. Mukesh Ambani – $99.7 billion
A Stanford dropout, Ambani has been one of the richest men in Asia, for over a decade now. He is the owner and chairperson of Reliance Industries, which generates a revenue of over $99.7 billion, as per Forbes.
11. Steve Ballmer – $99.6 billion
As the former CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer led the firm from 2000 to 2014. His able leadership during a very tough time steered Microsoft towards sustainability and progress. His net worth is $99.6 billion and in 2018 he invested $59 million in Social Solutions, a company that makes software for government agencies and non-profit organizations.
12. Carlos Slim Helu and family – $90.9 billion
Carlos Slim Helu & his family control America Movil, the biggest mobile telecom firm in Latin America. His net worth is $90.9 billion and he too owns stakes in Mexican construction, New York Times, mining, and real estate companies.
13. Mark Zuckerberg – $82.7 billion
The co-founder, CEO, and chairman of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg champions the social network that has become a go-to communications avenue today. His net worth is $82.7 billion and today he owns about 15% stakes in Facebook after the firm went public in May 2012.
14. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and family – $82.4 billion
Counted among the richest women on the earth, L’Oreal founder’s granddaughter Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and her family owns 33% stocks in the company which showed phenomenal growth in 2019. Her net worth is 92.3 billion US$.
15. Michael Bloomberg – $82 billion
An American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author, Michael Bloomberg is the majority owner, cofounder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was elected the 108th mayor of New York City. First elected in 2001, he held office for three consecutive terms, winning re-election in 2005 and 2009.
16. Zhong Shanshan – $73.3 billion
The Chinese billionaire is the founder of the largest beverage company in China and his net worth is $73.3 billion. He held a variety of jobs, including construction worker and news reporter before building his own business, Nongfu Spring. He is also the Chairman of a pharma company, Wantai.
17. Jim Walton – $69.6 billion
The youngest son of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, Jim Walton has 44% stakes in Arvest Bank. With a net worth of $69.6 billion, he and the other two heirs of the Walmart founder own more than half of the company’s stake.
18. Alice Walton – $68.7 billion
The daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, Alice Walton focused on curating art instead of working for Walmart as her two siblings did. In 2011, she instituted a museum called Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. She and her brother are also issuing bonds to help charter schools invest in facilities. Her net worth is $68.7 billion.
19. Rob Walton – $68.4 billion
Robson Walton, also called Rob Walton is the eldest son of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. His net worth is $68.4 billion. He and the other two siblings of the Walmart founder own more than half of the company’s shares.
20. Changpeng Zhao – $65 billion
Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume as of April 2018. CZ was born in Jiangsu, China and moved to Canada at a young age with his family.
