It's time for the 35th Annual Forbes World's Billionaires List and tech giants are dominating the rankings. Between familiar faces and notable names, the top of the top all come from a world of innovation that many see as the future of society.
As one of the most prominent trackers of universal wealth, Forbes has always been held in high esteem by those hopeful of reaching wealth and those who have already accumulated it. As the years have ticked on, so have the numbers. This year, the number of billionaires on the site's list of the world’s wealthiest skyrocketed nearly 500% as last year's 660 became 2,755 in 2021. Combined, these captains of industry are worth an astonishing $13.1 trillion with a T. That's up from the 2020 combined number of $8 trillion.
Jeff Bezos tops the rankings for his fourth straight year, with a net worth of $177 billion. If the number sounds amazing, keep in mind that last year, it was $64 billion. The jump in Amazon shares and the amount of brown boxes piling up outside of locked down houses all helped to push him further up the money tree.
Hot on his tail is the outspoken Tesla giant Elon Musk. Musk might be number two, but he is his year's biggest gainer in terms of dollar amount as this year's $151 billion fortune is - get ready for this - a massive $126.4 billion more than the year prior. His overall ranking went from 31 in 2020 to #2 in 2021. It's mind-blowing. The reason? Tesla shares, which jumped an even more incredible 705% since last year.
Bernard Arnault, the French luxury goods tycoon, remained steady at #3 although his wealth nearly doubled since 2020, giving those reading an idea of how hotly contested the battle for the top spots have become.
At four, there's everyone's favorite vaccination conspiracy magnet and Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, with $124 billion. He's followed by number five, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, with $97 billion. If number five seems paltry, one only has to realize that Zuckerberg's worth boosted up more than $42 billion from last year thanks to an 80% jump in Facebook stock prices. If there was a thumbs up button for bank accounts, Mark would like it.
The list itself is a rare one as there are an unprecidented number of newcomers this year - 493 in total. That accounts for a new billionaire every 17 hours. It's something to strive for and a pretty easy way to make the time pass. Set your timers for every 17 hours, the next one could be you.
Maybe? Maybe not. Either way, it doesn't hurt to dream.
Sources: Forbes