Billionaires play an outsized role in shaping the global economy, politics, and philanthropy. Forbes puts the number of billionaires in the world at 2,668 in 2022. The most powerful among them is (TSLA) co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Elon Musk, who became the richest man in the world in 2022.1 The individuals on this list belong to an even more exclusive club and wield still more power. Many of them are founders of technology giants, with much of their wealth still invested in the companies they started.2
These billionaires can, however, still borrow against that wealth to avoid selling stock, deferring (or eliminating for heirs) taxes on unrealized capital gains in the process.3 Multi-billionaires can also take advantage of a panoply of tax deductions to offset reported income, leaving some on this list paying no income tax in recent years.4
With so much of their wealth in publicly traded stocks, the net worth of the richest can fluctuate with market valuations. For example, Musk saw his net worth surge in 2021 thanks to the increase in the share price of Tesla Tesla shares rose nearly 50% in 2021. He currently owns 16% of the company. His net worth as of September 2022 was $241 billion.526
In contrast, Meta Platforms (META) founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg fell out of the top 10 in February 2022, when the company’s share price plunged after a disappointing earnings report. Zuckerberg’s net worth was reported to be $36.1 billion in November 2022.7
Below are the 10 wealthiest people on the planet as of the same date, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. All figures are current as of Nov. 1, 2022, unless otherwise stated.
