In February, a steep decline in Tesla shares wiped out tens of billions from Elon Musk’s fortune, while Mark Zuckerberg rose to become the world’s second-richest person.
As the Trump administration focused on cutting federal employment, stock markets faltered, causing the world’s ten wealthiest individuals to collectively lose $140 billion. Musk took the biggest hit, though he remains the world’s richest person. Tesla’s sharp stock decline erased $62 billion from his net worth, as the electric vehicle company lost a staggering 25% of its market value in just one month.
In December, Elon Musk became the first billionaire to surpass a net worth of $400 billion, driven by rising Tesla shares and a surge in the valuation of his AI company, xAI, following new investments. However, his time at the top was brief. On February 10, as Tesla’s stock plummeted, his fortune dipped below $400 billion—and the decline continued. As of March 1, Forbes estimates his net worth to be just under $360 billion.
The sharp decline in Tesla shares coincided with reports of a significant drop in Tesla vehicle sales across Europe and states like California. In the U.S., some citizens, frustrated by Musk’s sudden decisions to lay off federal workers in his capacity as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have responded by vandalizing Tesla dealerships or staging protests outside them.
Mark Zuckerberg had a strong month in terms of net worth, securing the title of the world’s second richest person for the first time. His rise was largely due to a decline in Amazon’s stock, which dropped nearly 11% in February, wiping over $23 billion from Jeff Bezos’ fortune and pushing him down to third place. While Zuckerberg’s wealth also took a hit last month, the drop was less severe than Bezos’. As of early March, the Meta Platforms CEO is worth an estimated $231 billion, with Bezos close behind at nearly $227 billion.
Warren Buffett was the only billionaire among the world’s top 10 richest whose wealth increased last month. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment conglomerate he leads, rose by about 10%, boosting his fortune by nearly $15 billion. His net worth now stands at $161 billion.
In total, the world’s ten richest individuals now hold a combined net worth of $1.89 trillion, a decline from $2.03 trillion at the beginning of February.
As of March 1, 2025, at 12 a.m. Eastern time, these are the ten wealthiest individuals in the world, according to Forbes. Since stock prices fluctuate regularly, their net worths may vary daily. Forbes provides real-time updates on its Billionaires List to track these changes.
1. Elon Musk
Net worth: $359.5 billion
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, X
Age: 53
Residence: Austin, Texas
Citizenship: U.S.
Tesla’s stock plummeted by over 25% in February, wiping out $62 billion from Musk’s fortune and dropping it below $400 billion.
As a leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory group appointed by President Trump, Musk has aggressively pushed for job cuts within federal agencies. He reportedly sent emails to all federal employees demanding a weekly report outlining their work, warning that failure to respond would be considered a resignation. Some agency leaders, however, advised their employees to disregard Musk’s directive.
Musk serves as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, chairman and chief technology officer of X (formerly Twitter), and founder of AI company xAI. He holds a 13% stake in Tesla, with some shares pledged as loan collateral. In June, Tesla shareholders approved a nearly $50 billion stock option package for Musk, despite a Delaware judge previously nullifying it, calling it “the largest potential compensation opportunity ever observed in public markets.” The ruling was upheld in December, and an appeal is likely ongoing. Until Musk secures those options, Forbes continues to apply a 50% discount to the package’s valuation.
Originally from South Africa, Musk moved to Canada before turning 18, taking on various jobs before enrolling at Queen’s University in Ontario. He later transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics.
In 2000, he merged his online banking startup, X.com, with Peter Thiel’s venture to create PayPal, which eBay acquired for $1.4 billion in 2002. That same year, he founded SpaceX in El Segundo, California. In 2004, he joined Tesla as an investor and chairman a year after its founding and was later given the cofounder title. He became Tesla’s CEO in 2008 and took the company public in 2010.
Musk first became the world’s richest person in September 2021 and held the title for most of 2022 until December. He reclaimed the top spot on June 8, 2023, maintaining it through the rest of the year before briefly dropping to No. 2 on January 31, 2024. He returned to the No. 1 position in late May 2024 after his AI startup, xAI, raised $6 billion from private investors at a $24 billion valuation. In November, xAI secured another $5 billion, increasing its valuation to $50 billion. Musk currently owns an estimated 54% of the company.
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $230.7 billion
Source: Meta (Facebook)
Age: 40
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Mark Zuckerberg became the world’s second-richest person in late February for the first time, surpassing Amazon founder and chairman Jeff Bezos. A nearly 11% drop in Amazon’s stock helped push Bezos down the rankings, leaving Zuckerberg $4 billion ahead, according to Forbes’ estimates.
Zuckerberg cofounded Facebook—now Meta Platforms—while studying at Harvard University in 2004. The company has since grown into the world’s largest social media platform, serving billions of users globally. In addition to Facebook, Meta owns Instagram and WhatsApp, both of which it acquired and significantly expanded. As Meta’s CEO, Zuckerberg took the company public in 2012 and retains approximately a 13% stake.
3. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $226.7 billion
Source: Amazon
Age: 60
Residence: Miami, Florida
Citizenship: U.S.
Jeff Bezos dropped to the world’s third-richest person in late February, slipping from the No. 2 spot after Amazon’s stock price declined. His fortune shrank by more than $23 billion over the past month, partly due to Walmart’s warning about slower sales and profit growth this year.
Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 and led the company as CEO until July 2021, when he stepped down but remained chairman. That same month, he traveled to space aboard a rocket developed by his aerospace company, Blue Origin, which he has heavily funded. Blue Origin recently announced an upcoming mission featuring an all-female crew, including pop star Katy Perry, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, and Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sánchez.
Before launching Amazon from his Seattle garage, Bezos worked at hedge fund D.E. Shaw in New York. Amazon began as an online bookstore at a time when e-commerce was still in its infancy. Over the years, the company expanded into cloud computing, digital streaming, and content production for Amazon Prime Video.
Bezos held the title of the world’s richest person on Forbes’ Billionaires List from 2018 to 2021. He dropped to second place in 2022 and fell to third in 2024.
In 2019, Bezos and his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, divorced, with Scott receiving 4% of Amazon’s shares as part of the settlement, while Bezos retained 12%. He has since reduced his stake further and now owns just under 10% of the company. Since Amazon went public in 1997, Forbes estimates that he has sold more than $38 billion worth of his stock. Through his investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, he has backed companies such as Airbnb and software firm Workday.
4. Larry Ellison
Net worth: $204.6 billion
Source: Oracle
Age: 80
Residence: Woodside, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Ellison retained his position as the world’s fourth-richest person, despite an $8.8 billion decline in his net worth. Oracle’s stock fell by approximately 2% over the past month.
On January 21, a day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, Ellison appeared alongside Trump as he announced the Stargate Project—a collaboration between Oracle, OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT), Japan’s Masayoshi Son and his firm SoftBank, and UAE-based MGX. The consortium has pledged $500 billion over four years to develop AI infrastructure, primarily data centers, across the U.S.
Ellison cofounded Oracle in 1977 and served as its CEO until 2014. He currently holds the roles of chairman and chief technology officer.
In 2012, he purchased 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai for $300 million. He also owns properties in California, Nevada, and Florida. Additionally, Ellison was an early investor in Tesla and served on its board from 2018 until August 2022.
5. Bernard Arnault
Net worth: $186.4 billion
Source: LVMH / Luxury goods
Age: 75
Residence: Paris
Citizenship: France
Bernard Arnault, CEO and chairman of luxury conglomerate LVMH, saw his fortune shrink by $2.8 billion due to a slight dip in the company’s stock price.
Arnault’s father amassed wealth in the construction industry, and he used $15 million of that inheritance to acquire Christian Dior. Over the years, he transformed LVMH into the world’s largest luxury goods empire, overseeing around 70 brands, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moët & Chandon, Sephora, and Tiffany & Co.
All five of Arnault’s children are involved in LVMH. Earlier this year, he appointed two of his sons, Alexandre and Frédéric, to the board, with Alexandre later being named deputy CEO of the group’s wine and spirits division. His daughter Delphine, who leads Dior, and his son Antoine were already board members. In June, he placed Frédéric in charge of LVMH’s family holding group, while his youngest son, Jean, serves as director of watches at Louis Vuitton.
Arnault held the title of the world’s richest person for most of the first half of 2023 and again from February to late May 2024.
6. Warren Buffett
Net worth: $161.1 billion
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 94
Residence: Omaha, Nebraska
Citizenship: U.S.
Warren Buffett was the only billionaire among the top 10 whose fortune grew last month, increasing by $14.9 billion in February. Shares of his investment conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, reached an all-time high of $775,000 on Friday, February 28.
Known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” Buffett is regarded as one of the most successful investors in history. He leads Berkshire Hathaway, which owns a diverse portfolio of companies, including insurer Geico, battery maker Duracell, and restaurant chain Dairy Queen. The son of a U.S. congressman, Buffett made his first stock purchase at age 11 and filed his first tax return at 13.
In 2010, Buffett co-founded the Giving Pledge alongside Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, encouraging billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity. He has pledged to give away 99% of his fortune and has already donated over $60 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock, primarily to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and foundations run by his children and his late first wife. That includes a $5.3 billion donation in June 2024.
7. Larry Page
Net worth: $141.5 billion
Source: Google
Age: 51
Residence: Palo Alto, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Larry Page’s fortune dropped by $26 billion last month as shares of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, fell more than 13% in February.
In late November, the Department of Justice suggested that Google should divest its Chrome browser to curb its dominance in the online market. Google responded by arguing that such a move would harm consumers and weaken America’s technological leadership. This decision may have influenced Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai’s presence at Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.
Page co-founded Google alongside fellow Stanford PhD student Sergey Brin in 1998. He served as CEO from 1998 to 2001 and later from 2011 to 2015. Although he no longer holds an executive role, he remains a board member of Alphabet and a controlling shareholder.
Additionally, Page was an early investor in asteroid mining venture Planetary Resources, which was acquired by blockchain company ConsenSys in 2018.
8. Sergey Brin
Net worth: $135.4 billion
Source: Google
Age: 51
Residence: Los Altos, California
Citizenship: U.S.
Sergey Brin’s fortune declined by $24.4 billion last month, mirroring the drop in Alphabet shares, similar to his Google co-founder, Larry Page.
Brin co-founded Google alongside Larry Page while both were pursuing PhDs in computer science at Stanford. He remains a board member of Alphabet and a controlling shareholder.
After years of semi-retirement, Brin re-engaged with Google’s AI division in 2023, contributing directly to improvements in its Gemini AI chatbot. When the model launched in December, he was credited as a “core contributor.”
9. Amancio Ortega
Net worth: $121.9 billion
Source: Zara-parent Inditex
Age: 88
Residence: La Coruña, Spain
Citizenship: Spain
Amancio Ortega retains his No. 9 position for the second consecutive month, despite a $1.4 billion decline in his fortune.
A pioneer of fast fashion, Ortega founded Inditex—the parent company of Zara—in 1975 alongside his then-wife, Rosalia Mera. (The two later divorced, and she passed away in 2013.) He holds a roughly 60% stake in the Madrid-listed Inditex, which operates eight brands, including Massimo Dutti and Pull & Bear, and runs 5,000 stores worldwide.
His daughter, Marta Ortega Pérez, took over as chairperson of Inditex in 2022 after spending 15 years at the company. Beyond fashion, Ortega has reinvested dividends from his retail empire into commercial real estate across Europe and North America.
10. Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $118.9 billion
Source: Microsoft, LA Clippers, Investments
Age: 68
Residence: Hunts Point, Washington
Citizenship: U.S.
A decline in Microsoft shares shaved $4 billion off Ballmer’s fortune, following weaker-than-expected earnings guidance from the company in late January.
Ballmer, a Harvard classmate of Bill Gates, joined Microsoft in 1980 as its 30th employee after leaving Stanford’s MBA program. He served as Microsoft’s CEO from 2000 to 2014, overseeing significant growth.
Upon retiring, he purchased the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion—a record price for an NBA team at the time. Today, Forbes values the team at $5.5 billion. The Clippers’ new arena, the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, near Los Angeles International Airport, officially opened in August 2024.
Who is the richest person in the world?
As of March 1, 2025, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk holds the title of the world’s richest person with a net worth of $359.5 billion. He reclaimed the top position in late May 2024, surpassing France’s Bernard Arnault.
Who is the richest woman in the world?
As of March 1, 2025, Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is the world’s richest woman with an estimated net worth of $107.5 billion, making her the 15th richest person globally. Her wealth comes from her inherited stake in Walmart. Her brothers, Rob, Jim, and the late John Walton (d. 2005), also inherited shares in the retail giant. John’s widow, Christy Walton, and their son, Lukas Walton, inherited his stake and are both featured on Forbes’ billionaires list.
