10 most richest people in the world
Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the disparity between the wealth of the rich and the poor was so vast that research studies concluded that the richest 1% in the world has funds equivalent to that of the rest of the world. Post the pandemic, when millions have been stranded and unemployment has seen an unprecedented rise, one can only imagine the gap to be displaced further. While lower-class and middle-class families are struggling to stay afloat, the coffers of the rich have been filling continuously. Is there any apparent factor that can be attributed to such a divide?
The obvious one being that revenue at such a great scale can only be generated when you are solving a need that caters to the global population or you have revolutionised the world with your product/company. Individuals who are at the helm of sectors such as technology, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, telecommunication and Fast-Moving Consumer Good (FMCG), among others, have gone on to accumulate unimaginable wealth over a period of time. Here’s a list of 10 richest people in the world on the basis of their real-time net worth (as of Nov. 04, 2020). If you are looking for a role model, look no further. Draw inspiration from these billionaires who have left their footprints all over the world.
1. Jeff Bezos, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 180.1 B
Jeffrey Preston Bezos founded the multinational tech company Amazon.com, Inc. in 1994. From being an online bookstore to establishing itself as a force to reckon with in the e-commerce industry, digital streaming and cloud computing, Amazon is considered as one of the Big Five companies in the US. As per Forbes, he is the first person in history to have a net worth in excess of US$ 200 billion. Bezos has made several charitable contributions to preserve the climate in the past. Recently, he donated US$ 100 million to non-profit organisation Feeding America to support the food banks during COVID-19.
2.Bernard Arnault and Family, France
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 115.9 B
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is the chairman and CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH). The LVMH group is the world’s largest luxury goods company that houses brands such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon, and Givenchy, among others. Arnault successfully displaced Bezos as the world’s richest man on a couple of instances but at present, he finds himself on the second place. A passionate art collector, his collection boasts of works by Picasso, Yves Klein, Henry Moore and Andy Warhol.
3. Bill Gates, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 115.2 B
William Henry Gates III or popularly known as Bill Gates is the co-founder of multinational tech company Microsoft Corporation (one of the Big Five companies). Known for revolutionising the world of technology with advanced computer software, Gates held several positions during his tenure. From chairman, CEO, president, chief software architect to being the largest individual shareholder, he formed the core of the organisation. Earlier this year, he stepped down from his board position to shift his focus towards his humanitarian causes. He founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 and it is touted to be the world’s largest private charity.
4. Mark Zuckerberg, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 97.5 B
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg co-founded the world’s largest social media platform, Facebook, Inc. (one of the Big Five companies). He is currently serving in the capacity of chairman and CEO. Zuckerberg launched the social networking site at the age of 19 while he was studying at Harvard and within eight years, the platform reached one billion users. At the age of 23, he became the youngest self-made billionaire and till date, he continues to reap in the big bucks. However, Zuckerberg has never shied away from donating money for humanitarian causes and is known for his philanthropy.
5. Elon Musk, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 93.7 B
Elon Reeve Musk is the co-founder and CEO of Tesla, Inc., the largest electric-car maker in the world. He is also the founder, CEO and CTO of SpaceX — a space exploration company that aims at making space travel cheaper and easier. Some of the other ventures that Musk co-founded include PayPal, Nueralink, OpenAI and Zip2, among others. The tech maestro loves to portray his character on screen and has made quite a few appearances in movies as well as TV serials.
6. Warren Buffett, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 78.2 B
Warren Edward Buffett, popularly known as the Oracle of Omaha, is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway which is one of the largest holding company’s in the world. Buffett developed an interest in business at a very young age and went on to become an investor when he was just 11-years-old. By the age of 13, he was paying his taxes. No wonder he is regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. A philanthropist, he started The Giving Pledge initiative along with Bill Gates in 2009, where billionaires were encouraged to pledge half of their wealth towards humanitarian causes.
7. Larry Ellison, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 75.4 B
Lawrence Joseph Ellison is the co-founder, chairman and CTO of Oracle Corporation. Along with two partners, he founded the company in 1977 and called it Software Development Laboratories (SDL). Two years later, the company was renamed to Relational Software Inc., before it officially became Oracle Systems Corporation in 1983. It was named after Ellison’s initial database, ‘Oracle’ that he created for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He believes that autonomous databases and cloud-based services will prove to be game-changing in the future. Apart from work, Ellison is passionate about racing sailboats, flying planes, and playing tennis and guitar.
8. Larry Page, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 73 B
Lawrence Edward Page is the co-founder and board member of Google (one of the Big Five companies). He is also the co-creator and namesake of PageRank — an algorithm which ranks web pages in the search engine. Page has been CEO of Google from 1997 to 2001 and 2011-2015. After that, he became the CEO of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, and held the post until 2019. Pursuing his passion, Page has been an investor in several companies. One such company is a space exploration company, Planetary Resources, which is breaking ground in space exploration.
9. Mukesh Ambani, India
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 72.6 B
Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani is the chairman and managing director of India’s most valuable company by market value, Reliance Industries Limited. Primarily based in the energy sector, the group is now diversifying in telecom, retail, and finance industry, with plans aligned for the next decade as well. During the pandemic, Ambani’s JIO saw an investment spree, with funds adding up to US$ 20 billion from investors such as Facebook and Google. Despite being Asia’s richest man, Ambani is highly respected for his humility.
10. Sergey Brin, USA
Real-Time Net Worth: US$ 71 B
Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin is the co-founder and board member of Google. Brin co-founded the tech company with Larry Page in 1998 while they were pursuing their PhD from Stanford University. They both are still working together at Google.org and are trying to solve Earth’s climate problems and find alternate sources of energy. Brin is an expert with data mining, which is an important base of the algorithm for their search engine. He is the richest immigrant in America.
