The Top 5 Richest Tech Billionaires In 2024

Forbes

The world’s wealthiest technology moguls have ridden the AI-fueled frenzy to never-before-seen heights. Forbes found 342 billionaires with fortunes in tech, up from 313 last year. As a group, they are worth a combined $2.6 trillion, more than any other industry and an astounding $750 billion more than last year, a bigger gain than any other industry.   Of course the biggest reason behind the tech rally is the artificial intelligence craze, as investors rush into companies building AI products or selling products to AI companies.   U.S. tech giants are getting in on the action, too, investing heavily in AI’s large language models and the processing power they require, exciting investors and making their founders even richer.   Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2024/04/02/tech-billionaires-have-added-an-as[…]billion-to-their-fortunes-over-the-past-year/?sh=3d511b726d2b  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00 The world's wealthiest technology mobiles have ridden the AI-fueled frenzy to never-before-seen heights.

00:07 Forbes found 342 billionaires with fortunes in tech, up from 313 last year.

00:15 As a group, they are worth a combined $2.6 trillion, more than any other industry,

00:21 and an astounding $750 billion more than last year, a bigger gain than any other industry.

00:29 Nobody had a better year than Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose net worth has increased by more than any other billionaire,

00:36 up by nearly $113 billion over the past 12 months to an estimated $177 billion.

00:45 Meta's 182% rally catapulted Zuckerberg, who owns 14% of the company,

00:51 from the 16th richest to 4th richest on Forbes Billionaire Ranking, his highest spot ever.

00:58 Of course, the biggest reason behind the tech rally is the artificial intelligence craze,

01:03 as investors rush into companies building AI products or selling products to AI companies.

01:09 Shares of graphics chipmaker Nvidia soared, landing its co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang

01:15 among the world's 20 richest people for the first time, up from number 78 last year.

01:21 He's worth an estimated $77 billion.

01:26 U.S. tech giants are getting in on the action too, investing heavily in AI's large language models

01:32 and the processing power they require, exciting investors and making their founders even richer.

01:39 Here are the richest people in tech on this year's World's Billionaires list.

01:44 Coming in at number 5 is Steve Ballmer.

01:48 The Los Angeles Clippers owner will move his fifth most valuable NBA team to a new stadium this summer.

01:55 Ballmer's fortune surged by $40 billion last year, due in part to the Clippers' higher value,

02:01 but mostly thanks to soaring Microsoft shares.

02:05 Number 4. Bill Gates.

02:09 Despite being nearly the wealthiest he's ever been, Gates ranks the lowest he has since 1992

02:15 thanks to stiff competition at the top, a costly 2021 divorce, and the $59 billion he has given to charity.

02:23 The Microsoft co-founder was the world's richest person for 18 of the 23 years from 1995 to 2017.

02:32 Number 3. Larry Ellison.

02:35 A decade after stepping down as Oracle's CEO, Ellison is still chairman, chief technology officer,

02:42 and its largest shareholder, with 40% of the company.

02:46 Oracle's stock is up 34% and it threw off more than $1 billion pre-tax in dividends to Ellison over the last 12 months,

02:54 helping make him $34 billion richer.

02:58 Number 2. Mark Zuckerberg.

03:02 The meta CEO has had quite a run.

03:05 After the social media giant's stock plunged 75% from its 2021 peak,

03:10 Zuckerberg laid off almost a quarter of its staff while maintaining huge bets on AI and the metaverse.

03:17 Shares nearly tripled over the past year, making Zuck, at 39, the wealthiest he has ever been.

03:24 And coming in at number 1 is Jeff Bezos.

03:28 The Amazon founder struck gold this year.

03:31 He's $80 billion richer thanks to a 93% jump in his e-commerce leviathan's stock.

03:38 Meanwhile, he spent $150 million buying homes on Miami's billionaire bunker island

03:44 as part of a move to sunny, tax-friendly Florida after three decades in Seattle.

03:50 (upbeat music)

03:52 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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