Billionaire Fortunes Surpass Amazon After $600 Billion Wealth Surge in 2025

In a remarkable year for the ultra-wealthy, the ten richest individuals globally have amassed a fortune exceeding that of Amazon. Together, their net worth increased by nearly $600 billion, catapulting their collective wealth to more than $2.5 trillion, as evidenced by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Amazon, a titan in the world of commerce with over 1.5 million employees and annual net sales surpassing $600 billion, lags slightly behind in market capitalization. The impressive earnings of these billionaires in 2025 reflect a broader trend of wealth concentration among the elite.

Elon Musk's Wealth Soars

Leading the wealth charge is Elon Musk, who strengthened his position as the wealthiest person on the globe. His fortune swelled by $187 billion, reaching a staggering $619 billion, largely due to the appreciation in the value of his shares in Tesla and SpaceX. Tesla saw an 11% boost in share value, while SpaceX's valuation soared from $350 billion to $800 billion.

Significant Gains in Tech Founders

Not far behind Musk, the cofounders of Alphabet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, emerged as major beneficiaries with their fortunes expanding by $101 billion and $92 billion, respectively. Climbing the wealth ladder, Page and Brin moved to the second and fourth spots in the rankings, finishing the year with net worths of $269 billion and $250 billion.

The remarkable growth in their wealth was propelled by a 65% increase in the shares of Google's parent company, fuelled by renewed interest in the company’s advanced AI projects.

Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Market Adjustments

Larry Ellison of Oracle also witnessed a $55 billion rise in his wealth during the year. Despite these gains, he fell from the fourth to fifth position among the richest, amid fluctuating stock performances and market recalibrations.

Bill Gates faced a different trajectory, experiencing the largest decline among the top billionaires. Extensive charitable activities led to a reevaluation of his fortune, dropping him out of the top ten to 16th position.

Movements Amongst Tech Leaders

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, saw a notable $26 billion addition to his wealth, but slipped in rank to sixth as others surpassed his fortune. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer moved up to eighth after a $22 billion gain. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, increased his wealth by $15 billion, though was overtaken into third place.

Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang made a significant leap from 12th to ninth place with a $40 billion increase in wealth, while legendary investor Warren Buffett maintained his 10th place with an additional $9 billion.

The Elite $100 Billion Club

The exclusive 'centibillionaires' group, individuals with fortunes in excess of $100 billion, sustained their numbers at 18, with Musk commanding a significant share of their cumulative wealth. Collectively, they amassed $708 billion in 2025, surpassing the market cap of financial giant Visa.

Musk alone constituted 17% of the group’s entire wealth and accounted for more than a quarter of the year’s increase in wealth. As major stakeholders in emerging AI enterprises, these top-tier billionaires have significantly benefited from the soaring market demand.

Speculative Sentiments Around AI

The investment community remains divided over the recent AI market boom, with ongoing debates about whether it signals an impending bubble or the dawn of a technological era. Influential investors, like Ross Gerber and Kevin O'Leary, view AI as a transformative force, in contrast to analysts such as Gary Shilling who caution against unfounded market speculation.