The world’s wealthiest individuals are closing out 2025 amid an intense AI race. Following the mid-November release of Google’s Gemini 3 model, Alphabet surged ahead—pushing cofounder Larry Page into the No. 2 spot for the first time. His estimated net worth reached $262 billion, up $30 billion in a month, driven by Alphabet’s 14% stock boost.
Page’s longtime partner and Google cofounder Sergey Brin also saw a major climb, adding $27 billion to reach $242 billion, moving him into 5th place. Legendary investor Warren Buffett returned to the top 10 after Berkshire Hathaway revealed a nearly $5 billion position in Alphabet. Buffett’s net worth rose by $9 billion to $152 billion, lifting him to No. 10 and replacing former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, whose fortune declined to $149 billion.
This month, seven of the top ten saw shifts in rank as stock markets swung sharply.
Page climbed from No. 4 to No. 2, overtaking both Larry Ellison and Jeff Bezos, who slipped to No. 3 and No. 4. Ellison experienced the steepest decline—Oracle shares plunged 23%, cutting his wealth by $67 billion. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang held his No. 8 position despite a $22 billion drop as chip stocks cooled.
At the top, Elon Musk remains the richest person alive with an estimated $483 billion—even after losing $15 billion this month as Tesla shares dipped.
Below are the top 10 richest people in the world as of December 1, 2025 at 12 a.m. ET, based on Forbes’ real-time billionaire tracking. Together, their combined wealth stands at $2.4 trillion, unchanged from last month.
Key Highlights
- Elon Musk continues as the world’s richest person, a title he reclaimed in May 2024.
- Larry Page rose to the No. 2 position after Alphabet’s major AI-driven rally.
- Bill Gates has remained outside the top 10 since October 2024 after new evaluations significantly reduced his fortune.
- 9 out of 10 of the richest are American; the only exception is France’s Bernard Arnault.
- All top 10 individuals are men, each worth $152 billion or more.
Top 10 Richest People in the World – December 2025
(Positions reflect changes since last month)
- Elon Musk
- Larry Page (up from No. 4)
- Larry Ellison (down from No. 2)
- Jeff Bezos (down from No. 3)
- Sergey Brin (up from No. 6)
- Mark Zuckerberg (down from No. 5)
- Bernard Arnault
- Jensen Huang
- Michael Dell (up from No. 10)
- Warren Buffett (up from No. 11)
1. Elon Musk
Net worth: $483B (down $15B)
Source: Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, X
Age: 54 | Citizenship: U.S. | Residence: Austin, Texas
Tesla shareholders recently approved a historic compensation package that could eventually grant Musk up to $1 trillion in additional stock if the automaker achieves ambitious long-term “Mars shot” growth targets. Meanwhile, xAI is reportedly preparing a major funding round that may value the company at $230 billion.
Musk controls about 12% of Tesla, 42% of SpaceX, and leads multiple companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI Holdings. He has cycled through the world’s richest position several times since 2021 and crossed the $500 billion mark briefly in October 2025.
2. Larry Page
Net worth: $262B (up $30B)
Source: Google / Alphabet
Age: 52 | Citizenship: U.S. | Residence: Palo Alto, CA
Page’s wealth has risen sharply throughout 2025, driven by Alphabet’s strong AI performance. He cofounded Google in 1998, remains a key shareholder, and is reportedly developing a new AI manufacturing-focused startup, Dynatomics.
3. Larry Ellison
Net worth: $253B (down $67B)
Source: Oracle
Age: 81 | Citizenship: U.S.
Ellison has been a central figure in the massive AI-infrastructure initiative “Stargate,” partnering with OpenAI, MGX, and SoftBank. However, Oracle’s stock slump—down nearly 40% from September highs—drove the largest personal wealth decline in this month’s top 10.
4. Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $245B (down $10B)
Source: Amazon
Age: 61 | Citizenship: U.S. | Residence: Miami, FL
Bezos is reportedly returning to an operational role as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, a major AI engineering venture. He remains executive chairman of Amazon and continues to expand investments through Blue Origin and Bezos Expeditions.
5. Sergey Brin
Net worth: $242B (up $27B)
Source: Google / Alphabet
Age: 52 | Citizenship: U.S.
Brin has taken a more active role in Alphabet’s AI efforts, contributing directly to improvements in the Gemini model. In November, he donated $1.1B in Alphabet stock—largely to Catalyst4.
6. Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $222B (down $1B)
Source: Meta
Age: 41 | Citizenship: U.S.
Zuckerberg continues to lead Meta across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and AI-powered platforms. He retains roughly 13% ownership of the company.
7. Bernard Arnault
Net worth: $190B (up $7B)
Source: LVMH
Age: 76 | Citizenship: France
Arnault heads the world’s largest luxury empire, including brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Sephora, and Tiffany & Co. All five of his children have leadership roles across LVMH.
8. Jensen Huang
Net worth: $154B (down $22B)
Source: Nvidia
Age: 62 | Citizenship: U.S.
Huang’s Nvidia remains at the center of the global AI hardware boom. Despite a dip in share prices, the company became the first ever to hit a $5 trillion valuation in October.
9. Michael Dell
Net worth: $152.1B (down $2B)
Source: Dell Technologies
Age: 60 | Citizenship: U.S.
Dell transformed a dorm-room startup into a global technology giant. He remains chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies.
10. Warren Buffett
Net worth: $151.9B (up $9B)
Source: Berkshire Hathaway
Age: 95 | Citizenship: U.S.
Buffett continues to run Berkshire Hathaway and plans to retire as CEO at the end of 2025. He has already donated about $65B of his wealth and remains committed to giving away nearly all of it.
Who Is the Richest Man in the World?
As of December 1, 2025, Elon Musk leads the global ranking with $483 billion.
Who Is the Richest Woman in the World?
Alice Walton is currently the wealthiest woman, with an estimated $119 billion, placing her at No. 15 overall.
