The world’s richest tech billionaires elevated their fortunes by $750 billion final 12 months – with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Fb tsar Mark Zuckerberg topping the record.
Forbes has launched its annual roster of the world’s wealthiest know-how tycoons – and the revenue will increase they noticed in 2023 are eye-watering.
Bezos, 60, added $80 billion to his web price, whereas Zuckerberg, 39, loved a whopping $113 billion enhance to his web worth.
The world’s richest tech billionaires elevated their fortunes by $750 billion final 12 months – with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Fb tsar Mark Zuckerberg topping the record
Jeff Bezos: +$80 billion to $194 billion
Of the planet’s 342 billionaires who made their fortune within the tech trade – incomes a mixed revenue of $2.6 trillion final 12 months – Bezos tops the record.
Bezos’ web price surged $80 billion to $194 billion in 2023, based on Forbes. The surge was bolstered by a 93 p.c enhance in his e-commerce leviathan’s inventory.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (pictured along with his fiancée Lauren Sánchez at the Vainness Honest Oscars Celebration in Beverly Hills on March 10) has topped the Forbes tech billionaires record for 2023
His spending additionally rocketed – together with a $150 million splurge on houses in Miami’s ‘billionaire bunker’ island.
The transfer got here as a part of his relocation to low-tax Florida – the place his dad and mom additionally dwell – along with his fiancée Lauren Sánchez.
It got here after he spent many years in Washington state, the place the origins of his wealth journey started after he based Amazon out of his Seattle storage in 1994.
Retail large Amazon is taken into account a tech firm as a result of plenty of its income are generated via its cloud computing service AWS.
Mark Zuckerberg: +$113 billion to $177 billion
Fb founder Zuckerberg loved the most important leap in his web price final 12 months – which grew $113 billion to an estimated $177 billion by the top of 2023.
The youngest of the highest 5 tech tycoons, Zuckerberg invested closely in AI at Meta, the dad or mum firm of Fb and Instagram, and this appears to have paid off.
Fb founder Zuckerberg loved the most important leap in his web price final 12 months at $113 billion, regardless of Meta being embroiled in fierce anti-trust lawsuits over alleged privateness breaches
Zuckerberg owns 14 p.c of Meta, and shares within the firm virtually tripled in worth final 12 months – catapulting him from the Sixteenth-richest to the fourth richest on Forbes’ total wealthy record for 2023.
It comes amid what Zuckerberg branded his ’12 months of effectivity’ at Meta – which meant mass layoffs, cost-cutting and a renewed concentrate on promoting after Fb’s inventory plunged 75 p.c from its 2021 peak.
And the highway forward for the Metaverse is not with out its obstacles, because the agency faces a fierce anti-trust lawsuit over accusations that bosses allowed different firms entry to consumer knowledge.
Larry Ellison: +$34 billion to $141 billion
Coming in third is Larry Ellison, whose web price elevated by $34 billion to $141 billion because of his software program firm Oracle.
The 79-year-old stepped down as Oracle chief govt 10 years in the past, however he nonetheless holds the posts of chairman and chief know-how officer, and he is the agency’s largest shareholder.
Oracle software program firm founder Larry Ellison (pictured middle on the BNP Paribas Open in California on March 14) got here third within the Forbes know-how trade tycoons wealthy record
Oracle inventory surged by 34 p.c final 12 months, making Ellison greater than $1 billion in dividends earlier than tax in 2023.
The success of Oracle has offset main losses Ellison made in his different ventures this 12 months which have not paid off – together with a stake in X which is now price lower than a 3rd of the $1 billion buy worth.
He additionally cofounded a most cancers software program firm in 2018, known as Venture Ronin, which is already shutting down.
Like Bezos, Ellison bought mansions in Miami lately – together with an $80 million residence on North Palm Seaside he deliberate to demolish to make room for an undisclosed venture.
Invoice Gates: +$24 billion to $128 billion
Microsoft boss Invoice Gates loved a $24 billion enhance in his wealth in 2023, bringing his web price as much as a whopping $128 billion.
He is the wealthiest he is ever been – however he ranked the bottom on the billionaire rankings since 1992 in an indication of how powerful the competitors has change into on the prime of the pyramid.
Microsoft boss Invoice Gates loved a $24 billion enhance in his wealth in 2023, bringing his web price as much as a whopping $128 billion
An costly divorce additionally set the 68-year-old again, together with a beneficiant $59 billion donation he made to charities.
In accordance with Forbes, Gates was the world’s richest man for 18 out of 23 years between 1995 and 2017.
His newest ventures embody constructing a next-generation nuclear energy plant in Wyoming via his firm TerraPower.
Half-funded by the US authorities, the venture places the agency in a nuclear power race in opposition to Russia and China.
Steve Ballmer: +$40 billion to $121 billion
Of the identical ilk as a former CEO at Microsoft, Swiss-American enterprise investor Ballmer, 68, is available in at fifth on the tech billionaire rankings for 2023.
Ballmer additionally owns the Los Angeles Clippers – the NBA’s fifth most useful workforce – and he is upgrading their venue this 12 months to the $2 billion Intuit Dome stadium close to LAX Airport.
Proprietor of the Los Angeles Clippers Steve Ballmer (pictured March 7 on the workforce’s new stadium) is available in at fifth on the tech billionaire rankings for 2023
The sports activities tsar’s web price grew $40 billion final 12 months to $121 billion in whole, fueled by the surging worth of the Clippers and hovering Microsoft shares.
Ballmer stepped down at Microsoft CEO in 2014, however he revealed in a Forbes interview final 12 months that he nonetheless repeatedly meets with varied groups on the firm.
His son, slapstick comedian Pete Ballmer, 29, just lately lifted the lid on what it was actually wish to develop up wealthy – from what he received for Christmas to why he was ashamed by his wealth.
Larry Web page: +$35 billion to $114 billion
The Google cofounder remains to be one of many search engine’s greatest shareholders, and he hasn’t offered a share since mid-2022. His wealth surged $35 billion to $114 billion final 12 months.
Web page, 51, largely stays out of the general public eye, allegedly spending most of his time on his 5 non-public islands together with one in Fiji and one other in Puerto Rico.
The Google cofounder remains to be one of many search engine’s greatest shareholders, and he hasn’t offered a share since mid-2022. His wealth surged $35 billion to $114 billion final 12 months
Nonetheless, one factor he cannot hold non-public are his potential enterprise hyperlinks with Jeffrey Epstein.
Web page has been requested to testify in court docket as a result of the disgraced financier as soon as sought to recruit him as a shopper of JPMorgan.
The opposite Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, was additionally subpoenaed by prosecutors within the case, together with billionaires Mortimer Zuckerman and Thomas Pritzker.
Sergey Brin: +$34 billion to $110 billion
In accordance with Forbes, Brin returned to Google from a interval of semi-retirement to assist with the launch of its new AI chatbot, Gemini.
The trade heavyweight reportedly submitted key code modifications to the mannequin, which launched December 2023.
Sergey Brin returned to Google from a interval of semi-retirement to assist with the launch of its new AI chatbot, Gemini, final 12 months. His wealth surged $34 billion to $1.25 billion
Gemini is popping out to be a means of trial and error – and Brin made a uncommon public assertion in March to confess they ‘tousled the picture technology’ after the bot generated traditionally inaccurate images.
His wealth surged $34 billion to $110 billion final 12 months, based on Forbes.
Brin, 50, has been advised he is genetically extra prone to undergo with Parkinson’s illness as he ages, and he has invested a big chunk of his wealth in associated charities.
He donated $150 million to scientists researching a remedy for the illness final 12 months, bringing his whole donations for the trigger as much as $1.25 billion.
Michael Dell: +$41 billion to $91 billion
The founding father of Dell Applied sciences cashed in final 12 months by orchestrating one of many largest acquisitions in historical past.
Broadcom acquired its sister firm VMware for $69 billion in money and inventory, equating to a $30 billion lump sum for Michael Dell, 59, based on Forbes.
Dell additionally donated greater than $3 billion to his household basis in 2023.
Jensen Huang: +$56 billion to $77 billion
Nvidia founder Huang, 61, made it into the record of the world’s 20 richest individuals final 12 months for the primary time.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang throughout the keynote deal with of Nvidia GTC in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 18, 2024
It got here after AI computing company Nvidia, of which he’s the three p.c shareholder, noticed share costs rocket 300 p.c final 12 months.
The twin American-Taiwanese nationwide began out as a dish washer at Denny’s, the place he was consuming a meal when he got here up with the imaginative and prescient for Nvidia – the chip producer now turbo-charging the AI revolution.