The world’s richest people became even richer in May because the US stock market rose strongly. The S&P 500 went up by about 5%, which increased overall investor wealth, Forbes reported. The Nasdaq Composite also rose by around 8%, which pushed billionaire fortunes even higher. Because of this market rally, the top 10 richest people in the world now hold a combined wealth of approximately $2.9 trillion as of June 2026. Adding to this surge, the SpaceX IPO created even more excitement in the market and gave billionaire wealth an additional boost. Below is the top 10 richest people list, by Forbes.
World’s top 10 richest people list
1. Elon Musk
Elon Musk reportedly became the world’s first trillionaire on June 12 when SpaceX went public. SpaceX opened its first day of trading as a public company at a valuation of nearly $2 trillion, showing huge investor demand, Forbes reported. Musk owns about 38% of SpaceX, including stock options, which makes his wealth rise sharply with the company’s value. He is a cofounder of seven companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and AI startup xAI.
SpaceX, which was founded in 2002, later acquired xAI in February in a deal that valued the combined company at about $1.25 trillion, Forbes stated. Musk’s social media company Twitter (X), which he bought in 2022, was merged into xAI nearly a year before this update. He owns about 10% of Tesla, which he first supported in 2004 and has been CEO of since 2008, and he also holds options to buy an additional 8%. Apart from SpaceX and Tesla, Musk also founded and holds stakes in tunneling startup The Boring Company and brain-computer interface company Neuralink
2. Larry Page
Larry Page has a net worth of about $296 billion. He is one of the cofounders of Google (Alphabet), as per Forbes. His wealth comes mainly from his large stake in Alphabet (Google’s parent company). He is still a controlling shareholder and board member. He has moved up sharply in wealth over the past decade. He is also linked to new AI-focused startup work called Dynatomics.
3. Sergey Brin
Sergey Brin has a net worth of about $272.4 billion. He co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998. He is again active in Alphabet’s AI development work. He helped improve Google’s Gemini AI system. He donated about $1.1 billion in Alphabet stock to his nonprofit. His wealth also comes from Alphabet shares and long-term ownership.
4. Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos has a net worth of about $247 billion. He is the founder of Amazon, started in 1994 as an online bookstore. He is now executive chairman of Amazon, not CEO. He also runs space company Blue Origin. He is working on a new AI startup called Project Prometheus, as per Forbes report. He owns about 8% of Amazon shares now after selling some over time.
5. Larry Ellison
Larry Ellison has a net worth of about $229 billion. He gained a massive $71 billion in one month, the highest among all billionaires, notes Forbes. He is cofounder and chairman of Oracle. Oracle stock rose around 40% in May due to AI demand and fell by approximately 18% in June. Oracle is building large AI-powered data centers in the US. He owns around 40% of Oracle, which is his main wealth source. He is also involved in major media and tech deal-making activities.
6. Michael Dell
Michael Dell has a net worth of about $226 billion. He is founder and CEO of Dell Technologies. He earned $67 billion in one month, the second highest gain. Dell stock more than doubled in May due to strong AI demand. The company saw huge growth in AI server revenue (757% rise). He started his business selling computers from his college dorm room.
Also read: Will SpaceX IPO affect your 401(k) and IRA savings? Experts explain how
7. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg has a net worth of about $196 billion. He founded Facebook in 2004 while studying at Harvard. His company is now called Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta stock rose only about 3% in May and did not rise much in June. slower than rivals. He still owns about 13% of Meta. Heavy spending on AI and layoffs affected investor sentiment.
8. Jensen Huang
Jensen Huang has a net worth of about $177.3 billion. He is cofounder and CEO of Nvidia. Nvidia became a key company in the global AI chip boom. Nvidia’s GPUs are widely used in AI systems and gaming. He owns around 3% of Nvidia. Nvidia became one of the most valuable companies in the world due to AI demand.
9. Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault has a net worth of about $156 billion. He is chairman and CEO of luxury group LVMH. LVMH owns brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Sephora, and Tiffany. He was previously the world’s richest person in 2023 and 2024. His children are involved in top roles across the LVMH business.
10. Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett has a net worth of about $143.8 billion He is known as the “Oracle of Omaha” and is one of the most successful investors in history He is the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns many companies like Geico, Duracell, and Dairy Queen He retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of 2025.
