Elon Musk remains the world’s richest person as of July 1, 2024, while Warren Buffett has dropped to 10th place after a major charitable donation.
According to a recent article published by Forbes magazine, the combined wealth of the world’s 10 richest individuals now stands at $1.66 trillion, an increase of $76 billion from the previous month.
1- Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s fortune increased by $11.1 billion in June, bringing his total net worth to $221.4 billion, according to Forbes.
The surge was driven by Tesla shareholders voting to let Musk retain nearly $50 billion in performance-based stock options.
And while Forbes is discounting those options by 50% until the lengthy appeals process is over, Musk’s net worth has risen by about $19 billion over the past two months.
In addition, Musk is expected to see further gains from SpaceX, Forbes estimates, which is set to sell shares in a tender offer that will value the company at $210 billion, up from $180 billion in December. Musk owns an estimated 42% of the company’s shares.
2- Bezos back in second place
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos moved into second place with a net worth of $210.2 billion. Bezos’ fortune increased by $15.5 billion in June, according to Forbes, as Amazon’s market value surpassed $2 trillion for the first time.
Bezos remains chairman of Amazon after stepping down as CEO in July 2021, and continues to invest in various ventures, including Blue Origin and Airbnb.
3- Arnault drops to third place
Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, dropped to third place after losing his title as the world’s richest person to Musk in late May.
Arnault’s net worth now stands at $193.7 billion, down $7.9 billion from last month. His luxury goods conglomerate has seen its stock value fall over the past two months, contributing to his downgrade.
others
Oracle’s Larry Ellison had the biggest gain in June, rising $26.8 billion to an estimated $173 billion, though he still remained in fifth place.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw his net worth increase by $13 billion, moving to fourth place with a value of $176.8 billion.
Buffett’s donations
Warren Buffett’s massive $5.3 billion donation of Berkshire Hathaway stock in late June, coupled with a slight drop in the stock’s value, has pushed him down to 10th on the list.
This is Buffett’s lowest rating in years, Forbes reported.
Top 10 Richest People in the World:
- Elon Musk: $221.4 billion (Tesla, SpaceX, X)
- Jeff Bezos: $210.2 billion (Amazon)
- Bernard Arnault: $193.7 billion (LVMH)
- Mark Zuckerberg: $176.8 billion (Meta Platforms)
- Larry Ellison: $173 billion (Oracle)
- Larry Page: $150.3 billion (Google)
- Sergey Brin: $143.9 billion (Google)
- Bill Gates: $133.4 billion (Microsoft, other investments)
- Steve Ballmer: $130.7 billion (Microsoft, Clippers, other investments)
- Warren Buffett: $128.4 billion (Berkshire Hathaway)
Men make up 100% of the billionaires on the list, 9 of whom are Americans. Everyone on the list is worth more than $100 billion.
Meanwhile, France’s Françoise Bettencourt Meyers remains the world’s richest woman, according to Forbes, ranking 17th overall with a net worth of $89 billion derived primarily from her stake in cosmetics giant L’Oreal.
