I recently noticed interesting statistics about global wealth at the beginning of this year. It turns out that the richest person in the world at that time was Elon Musk with a net worth of about $726 billion. Honestly, just astronomical figures.

What surprised me was that no one in modern history has accumulated such a level of personal wealth. Musk pulled ahead of his competitors thanks to the rapid growth in the valuation of SpaceX, the expansion of Starlink, plus his position at Tesla. On top of that, this guy is now actively influencing the development of artificial intelligence and neurotechnologies.

Next in the ranking are other tech giants. Larry Page, one of Google's founders, is in second place with approximately $270 billion. Jeff Bezos rounds out the top three with $255 billion. Both benefited from their companies' dominance in cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Following them are Sergey Brin ($251 billion), Larry Ellison ($248 billion), Mark Zuckerberg ($233 billion), Bernard Arnault ($205 billion), Steve Ballmer ($170 billion), Jensen Huang ($156 billion), and Warren Buffett ($151 billion). Interestingly, so many tech entrepreneurs are at the top.

What’s interesting is that this explosive wealth growth is fueled by several factors. First, exponential growth in artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Second, the surge in valuations in the space and semiconductor industries. Third, the clear dominance of American tech companies in the global market. And finally, the long-term stakes of founders who kept their shares and benefited from this game.

So if you're wondering who the richest person in the world is—by early 2026, the answer was unequivocal. But apparently, the situation may have changed since then. It would be interesting to see the current figures now.