According to the latest Forbes ranking released on June 1, 2025, Elon Musk has reclaimed his position as the world’s wealthiest individual, boasting a staggering net worth of $423 billion.
Musk, who leads Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and X, saw his fortune swell by $36 billion in May alone, driven largely by a 23% surge in Tesla’s stock price. This increase followed announcements of the company’s forthcoming robotaxi launch and Musk’s exit from a key advisory role in the U.S. government. Forbes attributed this rise as a significant factor solidifying his lead atop the global wealth chart.
Coming in second is Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, with a net worth of $224 billion, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos now holds third place at $220 billion. Zuckerberg’s climb was fueled by an 18% increase in Meta’s stock, while Bezos benefitted from an 11% bump in Amazon’s share price, adding $19 billion to his wealth.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison remains in fourth place at $206 billion. Warren Buffett follows in fifth with $158 billion, although he experienced the largest loss among the top ten—shedding $9 billion after announcing plans to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, which triggered a 5% drop in its stock.
French luxury tycoon Bernard Arnault of LVMH ranks sixth with $144 billion, down $3 billion due to a 2% decline in company shares. Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin occupy seventh and eighth places with net worths of $142 billion and $136 billion, respectively.
In ninth place is Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and LA Clippers owner, with a $133 billion fortune—boosted by a 16% rise in Microsoft shares that added $15 billion to his net worth. Spanish retail billionaire Amancio Ortega, the founder of Inditex (Zara), rounds out the top ten at $124 billion, with a modest $600 million increase in May.
The strong performance of tech stocks helped drive the collective wealth of the top ten billionaires to $1.9 trillion—an increase of $140 billion from early May. Market optimism was buoyed by solid earnings reports, improved U.S. consumer sentiment, and easing global trade tensions, leading to a 10% rise in the Nasdaq and a 6% gain in the S&P 500 over the month.
The financial ascent of these tech magnates highlights their growing influence on global markets, particularly amid a rebound from April’s economic volatility.
