Jeff Bezos Is the Now the World's Richest Person, Removing Elon Musk From the Top Spot Bezos hasn't been first in Bloomberg's ranking since 2021, and the wealth gap between him and Musk was once as large as $142 billion.

By Sherin Shibu

Key Takeaways

  • The Bloomberg Billionaires Index measures the net worth of the world’s 500 richest people.
  • As of Monday, Musk is No. 2 with a net worth of $197.7 billion, while Bezos tops the list at $200.3 billion.
  • Bezos, Musk, and Bernard Arnault have occupied the top three spots over the last few years.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is no longer the richest person on the planet — the crown now belongs to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Musk, who also owns X (formally known as Twitter), runs SpaceX and founded xAI, among other initiatives, was at the top of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index for more than nine months. As of Monday, Musk is now No. 2 with a net worth of $197.7 billion, while Bezos tops the list at $200.3 billion. Bernard Arnault, chairman of the world's largest luxury goods company LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is now No. 3 and not too far behind Musk, with a net worth of $197.5 billion.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk in Washington, DC, on March 09, 2020; and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2019. Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Bezos hasn't been first in Bloomberg's ranking since 2021, and the wealth gap between him and Musk was once as large as $142 billion.

Related: 'Next Tesla' Electric Car Startups Hit Speed Bump: 'Investors Want To See Demand'

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index measures the net worth of the world's 500 richest people based on markets, the economy, and Bloomberg's own reports. Each profile breaks down personal wealth quantitatively and through a written report and confidence rating.

Bloomberg details through Bezos's profile, for example, that he has about $17.9 billion in cash, $15 billion in private assets (the space exploration company Blue Origin, which he owns), and $167 billion in public assets (Amazon).

Musk's profile shows a different distribution of net worth, with most of his wealth coming from private and public companies.

Related: Meet the UK's Richest Millennial, the Duke of Westminster, Who's Worth More Than $12 Billion

According to human rights group Oxfam, $26 trillion (63%) of all new wealth went to the richest 1% in the world, while $16 trillion (37%) went to the remaining 99% over the past two years.

"A billionaire gained roughly $1.7 million for every $1 of new global wealth earned by a person in the bottom 90 percent," the report stated.

In the U.S., billionaires hold $4.48 trillion in combined value and their wealth is 1.5 times the amount it was at the beginning of the pandemic according to Statista.

Related: Meet Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the World's Richest Woman, Who's Worth $87 Billion

Sherin Shibu

BIZ Experiences Staff

News Reporter

Sherin Shibu is a business news reporter at BIZ Experiences.com. She previously worked for PCMag, Business Insider, The Messenger, and ZDNET as a reporter and copyeditor. Her areas of coverage encompass tech, business, strategy, finance, and even space. She is a Columbia University graduate.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Starting a Business

These Brothers Started a Business to Improve an Everyday Task. They Made Their First Products in the Garage — Now They've Raised Over $100 Million.

Coulter and Trent Lewis had an early research breakthrough that helped them solve for the right problem.

Franchise

How to Prepare Your Business — And Yourself — For a Smooth Exit

After decades of building your business, turning it over to someone else can be emotional. But with the right mindset and a strong plan, it can also be your proudest moment.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Franchise

10 No-Office-Required Businesses You Can Start for as Little as $5,000

With strong Franchise 500 rankings and investment levels starting under $5,000, these brands are ready for new owners to hit the ground running.

Business News

Here Are the 10 Jobs AI Is Most Likely to Automate, According to a Microsoft Study

These careers are most likely to be affected by generative AI, based on data from 200,000 conversations with Microsoft's Copilot chatbot.