The world’s 10 richest individuals are now collectively worth more than Amazon, following a record-breaking year in 2025 that saw their combined wealth rise by $579 billion to exceed $2.5 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Amazon, a global tech giant with over 1.5 million employees and more than $600 billion in annual revenue, has a market capitalization just below that total. Elon Musk led the pack, adding $187 billion to his net worth to reach $619 billion, solidifying his position as the richest person in the world. His wealth surge was driven by a 11% increase in Tesla’s stock and a dramatic rise in SpaceX’s valuation, which jumped from $350 billion to $800 billion. The private aerospace company’s progress in space technology and satellite internet has drawn strong investor interest. Alphabet co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin followed closely, each adding $101 billion and $92 billion respectively, moving from sixth and eighth to second and fourth on the list. Their net worths now stand at $269 billion and $250 billion, fueled by a 65% rise in Alphabet shares, reflecting renewed confidence in Google’s AI-driven ad and search business. Larry Ellison, Oracle’s co-founder, gained $55 billion but dropped from fourth to fifth place. A brief surge in Oracle’s stock in September, driven by optimistic growth projections, had briefly made him wealthier than Musk, but a more cautious market outlook in the final quarter pulled back the gains. Bill Gates saw the largest decline in net worth among the world’s top billionaires, falling from seventh to 16th place after Bloomberg revised his wealth based on new data about his charitable giving. Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth grew by $26 billion, but he slipped from third to sixth as Page, Brin, and Ellison overtook him. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, climbed to eighth place with a $22 billion gain. Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder, moved from second to third despite a $15 billion increase, as Page surpassed him. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang added $40 billion, rising from 12th to ninth. Warren Buffett remained in 10th place, gaining about $9 billion in his final year as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The number of centibillionaires — those with at least $100 billion in net worth — held steady at 18, with no changes in membership. Together, they gained $708 billion in 2025, surpassing Visa’s market cap of $677 billion. Their combined wealth reached nearly $3.6 trillion, roughly equivalent to Microsoft’s market value. Musk alone accounted for 17% of the group’s total wealth and 26% of their gains. The surge in billionaire fortunes was largely tied to stakes in AI-powered companies like Alphabet, Oracle, and Nvidia, whose stock prices soared on announcements of major AI partnerships, contracts, and growth projections. Market analysts remain divided on whether the AI boom is a sustainable revolution or an overhyped bubble. While figures like Ross Gerber and Kevin O’Leary see AI as transformative, others such as economist Gary Shilling and strategist Paul Dietrich warn of excessive speculation and potential market corrections.