The 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 10 richest persons, based on the real-time Bloomberg billionaires Index of February 3, 2023 and some interesting facts about each of them.
1. Bernard Arnault & Family – $193 billion
LVMH – France Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault is the first richest person on the earth. His net worth is $193 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.
2. Elon Musk – $174 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 $174 billion. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX is now valued at nearly $100 billion.
3. Jeff Bezos – $136 billion
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $136 billion and ranks as the third richest person on the earth. 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.
4. Bill Gates – $115 billion
The cofounder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates has a net worth of $115 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 – $108 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 $108 billion. The son of a US congressman, he bought his first stock at the age of 11.
6. Larry Ellison – $102 billion
Larry Ellison has a net worth of $102 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.
7. Larry Page – $98.4 billion
Larry Page, the cofounder of Google has a net worth of $98.4 billion and ranks in the ninth 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.
8. Sergey Brin — $94.6 billion
The co-founder and board member of Alphabet, Sergey Brin has a net worth of $94.6 billion which places him in the ninth 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. Steve Ballmer – $94 billion
The owner of Los Angeles Clippers Steve Ballmer has a net worth of $94 billion putting him in the Ninth position among the world’s top richest persons. Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 and became its CEO in 2000 succeeding Bill Gates.
10. Carlos Slim – $84.2 billion
Carlos Slim controls America Movil, the biggest mobile telecom firm in Latin America. His net worth is $84.2 billion and he also owns stakes in New York Times and commercial banks. Through his family’s investment vehicle, he is also invested in the Mexican construction industry.