According to Bloomberg’s latest data on the world’s wealthiest billionaires, the first half of 2023 witnessed a remarkable surge in the fortunes of the top 500 individuals. Collectively, these billionaires saw a staggering increase of $1,276 trillion AUD ($852 billion USD) in their net worth.
To put this into perspective, each member of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index earned an average of $14 million per day over the past six months. If we consider a standard 8-hour workday, their hourly rate would amount to an enviable $1,750,000.
This exceptional growth in wealth marks the most prosperous half-year for billionaires since the latter half of 2020, when the global economy rebounded from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Interestingly, these significant figures come at a time when the cost of living pressures have been on the rise for millions of Australians.
Now, let’s delve into the individual who topped the charts in terms of wealth accumulation in 2023.
Here are the top 10:
Sergey Brin
- Co-founder of Alphabet, the holding company that owns Google
- Alphabet was established in 1998 and reported $258 billion in revenue in 2021
- Divisions of Alphabet include Gmail, Android, and YouTube
- Sergey Brin’s personal net worth is estimated at $104 billion
- He has added $24.7 billion to his fortune since the beginning of the year.
Mark Zuckerberg
- Net worth: $104 billion
- Recently re-entered the top ten richest people
- Personal fortune grew by $58 billion, partially due to recovery in Meta’s valuation
Larry Page
- Net worth: $110 billion
- Co-founder of Google
- Alphabet’s stock market valuation surged in 2023 due to AI’s potential
- Warren Buffett
- Net worth: $115 billion
- Chairman and successful investor at Berkshire Hathaway
- Added $7 billion to his wealth in the first half of 2023
Steve Ballmer
- Net worth: $118 billion
- Former CEO of Microsoft
- Valuation increased by $32 billion in 2023
- Owner of the LA Clippers NBA team
Larry Ellison
- Net worth: $133 billion
- Chairman, CTO, and co-founder of Oracle
- Owns approximately 35% of Oracle
Bill Gates
- Net worth: $134 billion
- Co-founder of Microsoft
- Focused on philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $154 billion
- Founder of Amazon
- Transitioned from CEO to executive chairman
- Wealth increased by $47.4 billion in 2023
Bernard Arnault
- Net worth: $200 billion
- Oversees LVMH, which owns multiple fashion and cosmetics brands
- Experienced growth in consumer spending
- Second richest person, not directly tied to technology
Elon Musk
- Net worth: $234 billion
- Cofounder of Tesla, SpaceX, and Boring Company
- Acquired Twitter
- Reclaimed the title of world’s richest person
- Holdings increased by an estimated $96 billion in 2023