In this year's Forbes list of the 10 richest people in the world, LVMH boss Bernard Arnault is in the lead and is the only person with assets over 200 billion USD.
1. Bernard Arnault (74 years old)
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault. Photo: VNA Assets: 211 billion USD
Source of wealth: LVMH
Nationality: French
2023 marks the first year that the French luxury goods tycoon has topped the list of the world's richest people, thanks to a boom in business at LVMH, the company that owns many famous fashion and cosmetics brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Tiffany & Co. LVMH's revenue, profits and share price are all at record highs, helping Arnault's fortune increase by $53 billion in the past 12 months, the largest increase among billionaires.
2. Elon Musk (51 years old)
Billionaire Elon Musk. Photo: AFP/TTXVN Assets: 180 billion USD
Source of wealth: Tesla, SpaceX
Nationality: American
Musk has lost his top spot this year, as shares of his electric car company Tesla have fallen nearly 50% since he announced plans to buy Twitter last April. He sold $23 billion worth of Tesla stock to fund the deal. Meanwhile, SpaceX has thrived, with a takeover bid valuing the company at nearly $140 billion that expired earlier this year. That’s up from the $127 billion valuation investors gave Musk in May. Still, Musk’s fortune is $39 billion lower than a year ago.
3. Jeff Bezos (59 years old)
Billionaire Jeff Bezos. Photo: AFP/ VNA Assets: 114 billion USD
Source of wealth: Amazon
Nationality: American
After stepping down as CEO of e-commerce giant Amazon in 2021, Mr. Bezos made a historic flight into space on the New Shepard spacecraft of Blue Origin, the aerospace company he founded in 2000. Over the past year, this billionaire's fortune has decreased by $57 billion, the largest decrease among billionaires, due to Amazon's stock price falling 38%.
4. Larry Ellison (78 years old) Assets: 107 billion USD
Source of wealth: Oracle
Nationality: American
With his fortune increasing by $34 billion, the chairman and former CEO of multinational computer technology corporation Oracle has moved up four spots on the list of the world's richest people after a difficult year for technology companies. Oracle's stock has risen 10% in the past year thanks to strong profits and a focus on security. Mr. Ellison owns about 35.4% of the software giant.
5. Warren Buffett (92 years old)
Billionaire Warren Buffett. Photo: VNA Assets: 106 billion USD
Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
Nationality: American
The American investing legend is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. Mr. Buffett has spent heavily over the past three years, pumping about $90 billion of Berkshire Hathaway's cash into stocks, stock buybacks and an $11.5 billion acquisition of insurance company Alleghany Corp. In recent years, he has been preparing to step down as Berkshire's leader and retire. He has also pledged to donate more than 99% of his wealth to charity. To date, billionaire Buffett has donated more than $40 billion to the Bill Gates Foundation and children's charities.
6. Bill Gates (67 years old)
American billionaire Bill Gates. Photo: AFP/TTXVN Assets: 104 billion USD
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Nationality: American
Bill Gates' fortune comes mainly from Microsoft stock. This year, he owns $104 billion, down more than $20 billion from last year. After leaving Microsoft in 2020, Mr. Gates focused on philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also invested in dozens of other companies.
7. Michael Bloomberg (81 years old)
Billionaire Michael Bloomberg. Photo: AFP/TTXVN Assets: 94.5 billion USD
Source of wealth: Bloomberg LP
Nationality: American
Despite donating $1.7 billion to charity last year, the founder of privately held financial, software, data and media company Bloomberg LP is still growing, with the company's revenue reaching $13.3 billion in 2022, up from $12.5 billion in 2021. He currently owns 88% of the company.
8. Carlos Slim Helu (83 years old)
Assets: 93 billion USD
Source of wealth: Telecommunications
Nationality: Mexican
Carlos Slim Helu controls América Móvil, Latin America’s largest mobile phone company. The company’s New York-listed shares have risen 14% over the past year, adding nearly $12 billion to Slim’s fortune and placing him among the world’s 10 richest people for the first time.
9. Mukesh Ambani (65 years old)
Assets: 83.4 billion USD
Source of assets: Diversified
Nationality: Indian
This year, Mr. Ambani regained his position as Asia's richest person. In 2022, his empire, the diversified conglomerate Reliance Industries, which has businesses ranging from oil and gas to telecommunications to retail in India, became the first Indian company to have revenue exceeding $100 billion.
10. Steve Ballmer (67 years old)
Assets: 80.7 billion USD
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Nationality: American
Steve Ballmer is the former CEO of Microsoft, leading the company from 2000 to 2004, leading Microsoft through the dotcom bubble. He joined Microsoft in 1980 and was the company's 30th employee. His fortune has dropped by $10 billion over the past year, largely due to the decline in Microsoft's stock price.
(Source: BNews)
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