The AI boom has sent the Dell Technologies founder’s fortune soaring to more than $273 billion. But who else makes the world’s top ten, and how did they make their billions?
Michael Dell has become the world’s fourth-richest person after the artificial intelligence boom sent his fortune soaring to more than $273 billion (£204 billion).
The 61-year-old Dell Technologies founder overtook Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin after his company’s shares surged following an upbeat assessment from investment bank Morgan Stanley.
According to Forbes, Dell gained more than $11 billion during trading on Friday, 25 September, briefly taking his fortune to $276.4 billion – just $6 billion behind Google’s Larry Page, the world’s third-richest person.
By Monday, his wealth stood at $273.7 billion, ahead of Brin on $259.8 billion and Zuckerberg on $257.6 billion.
Dell’s extraordinary rise has been driven by soaring demand for AI infrastructure. Founded in 1984 with just $1,000, his company grew into a global PC giant before expanding into servers and data storage – businesses now benefiting enormously from the AI boom.
But who else makes the world’s top ten, and how did they make their money?
According to Forbes, the world’s ten richest people have a combined estimated fortune of more than $3 trillion. All 10 are American, and nine owe their wealth primarily to technology businesses, reflecting the enormous fortunes generated by Silicon Valley and the global boom in artificial intelligence.
The Forbes Real-Time Billionaire rankings, which are updated throughout the trading day to reflect changes in share prices and estimated personal wealth, also reveal the extraordinary gap between the world’s richest individuals. Elon Musk’s estimated $929 billion fortune is more than twice that of second-placed Jeff Bezos.
The world’s ten richest people
1. Elon Musk
$929 billion
The Tesla and SpaceX boss occupies first place by an extraordinary margin, with a fortune worth more than twice that of his nearest rival. Musk’s business interests span electric vehicles, space exploration, artificial intelligence and social media. His estimated wealth is approaching the $1 trillion mark.
2. Jeff Bezos
$369.6 billion
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos built his fortune by transforming an online bookseller into a global retail and technology business. Amazon’s lucrative cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services, has become a major supplier of the computing infrastructure underpinning the AI revolution. Bezos also owns the aerospace company Blue Origin.
3. Larry Page
$282.3 billion
Larry Page co-founded Google with fellow Stanford University student Sergey Brin in 1998. The search engine subsequently grew into one of the world’s largest technology businesses. Page’s fortune comes principally from his holding in Alphabet, Google’s parent company, whose operations span internet advertising, cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
4. Michael Dell
$273.7 billion
Dell’s latest rise has taken him ahead of two of Silicon Valley’s most recognisable names. His company’s expanding AI server business has helped push his estimated personal fortune to new heights, demonstrating how the demand for computing infrastructure is enriching the businesses supplying the technology.
5. Sergey Brin
$259.8 billion
Google’s other co-founder holds fifth place. Born in Moscow before emigrating to the United States as a child, Brin helped develop the search technology that became the foundation of Google. His fortune is closely tied to Alphabet, which is competing with other technology giants to commercialise increasingly advanced AI systems.
6. Mark Zuckerberg
$257.6 billion
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg briefly overtook Dell last week following a rally in Meta shares. However, subsequent falls in the company’s share price sent him back down the rankings. His fortune is built principally on his ownership of Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and has invested heavily in artificial intelligence.
7. Jensen Huang
$194.9 billion
Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang has amassed one of the world’s largest personal fortunes through the company’s dominance of the market for AI computing chips. Its graphics processing units are widely used to train and operate advanced AI models, making Nvidia a major supplier to technology companies building new data centres.
8. Larry Ellison
$181.1 billion
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison made his fortune through enterprise software and database technology. Oracle has expanded its cloud computing operations and is investing heavily in the infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence. His substantial holding in the company remains the principal source of his wealth.
9. Steve Ballmer
$160.2 billion
Former Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer accumulated his fortune through his longstanding association with the software giant. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and led the company from 2000 until 2014. His continued ownership of Microsoft shares has benefited from the company’s growth in cloud computing and artificial intelligence. He also owns the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
10. Warren Buffett
$143.7 billion
Veteran investor Warren Buffett is the only person in the top ten whose wealth was not built primarily through the technology industry. His fortune comes from Berkshire Hathaway, the investment conglomerate with interests spanning insurance, railways, energy and major publicly traded companies. Despite donating billions of dollars to charitable causes, Buffett remains among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
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Main image: The world’s 10 richest people have a combined estimated fortune of more than $3 trillion, according to Forbes. Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell (centre) has climbed to fourth place, joining Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and seven other billionaires at the top of the global wealth rankings. Image credits: Gage Skidmore (Elon Musk, CC BY-SA 4.0); SECWAR (Jeff Bezos, Public Domain); Stansfield PL (Larry Page, CC BY-SA 3.0); Village Global (Michael Dell, CC BY 2.0); Steve Jurvetson (Sergey Brin, CC BY 2.0); Remy Steinegger / World Economic Forum (Mark Zuckerberg, CC BY-SA 2.0); The White House (Jensen Huang, Public Domain); Oracle Corporate Communications (Larry Ellison, CC BY 2.0); Martin Olsson (Steve Ballmer, CC BY-SA 3.0); US International Trade Administration (Warren Buffett, Public Domain).
