The year 2024 has been a record-setting year for the planet’s richest individuals, with more billionaires than ever before and staggering increases in wealth. The World’s Billionaires list for this year includes 2,781 individuals with a combined worth of $14.2 trillion, an increase of $2 trillion from the previous year. Two thirds of the list have seen their wealth grow, with some experiencing astounding gains.
Tech moguls, especially those tied to companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, have seen significant increases in their fortunes amid the AI boom. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Meta, has gained the most over the past year, with his net worth growing by $112.6 billion. Other tech tycoons like Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft have also seen substantial increases in their wealth, thanks to the AI wave that has swept the tech industry.
Only two of the top ten gainers on the World’s Billionaires list for 2024 are from outside the U.S. Indonesian magnate Prajogo Pangestu and Indian billionaire Gautam Adani have both experienced significant increases in their wealth, with Pangestu’s fortune soaring after taking a renewable energy firm public and Adani’s fortune rebounding after a tumultuous year filled with allegations of financial fraud.
The top ten billionaires who gained the most wealth in the past year include familiar tech giants like Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Larry Ellison, as well as newcomers like Prajogo Pangestu and Gautam Adani. Their gains range from $34 billion to over $100 billion, fueled by the success of their companies in the AI and tech sectors.
The surge in wealth among the world’s richest individuals has been driven by the booming AI market, with companies like Meta, Nvidia, and Oracle seeing their stock prices soar. The success of these companies and their leaders in harnessing the power of AI has resulted in unprecedented gains for the ultra-rich, cementing their status as some of the wealthiest individuals on the planet.
As stock markets hit all-time highs and the AI boom continues to drive tech stocks higher, the fortunes of the ultra-rich have also reached new heights. With billions of dollars in gains over the past year, these billionaires are wealthier than ever before, underscoring the growing influence of technology and artificial intelligence in shaping the global economy and the lives of the world’s wealthiest individuals.
