An interesting question—who is the richest person in the world in 2026—has received a completely unexpected answer. Elon Musk has surged far ahead with a total of $726 billion—this is simply an unprecedented level of personal wealth in modern history. No one had accumulated such fortunes before.

What’s interesting is that this isn’t just a number on paper. Musk earned it through SpaceX, which is valued more and more highly, through Starlink, which is expanding across the world, plus his Tesla shares and the growing influence of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology. The combination of these factors has created the perfect storm for his wealth.

Next come the tech giants. Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, takes second place with $270 billion thanks to Alphabet’s dominance in AI. Jeff Bezos is third with $255 billion—he is backed by AWS and Amazon’s logistics network.

The list continues as follows: Sergey Brin with $251 billion, Larry Ellison with $248 billion, Mark Zuckerberg with $233 billion, Bernard Arnault with $205 billion, Steve Ballmer with $170 billion, Jensen Huang with $156 billion, and Warren Buffett rounds out the top 10 with $151 billion.

What drives this explosion of wealth? First, the exponential growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Second, valuations in the space and semiconductor industries are simply off the charts. Third, American tech companies are dominating the global market like never before. And finally, founders who held onto their shares are rewarded to the fullest extent.

Overall, who is the richest person in the world is a question that shows just how strongly the tech sector is reshaping global wealth. Innovations in AI, space, and semiconductors are creating an entirely new level of fortunes.