Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires rankings tracks the daily ups and downs of the world’s richest people. The wealth-tracking platform provides ongoing updates on the net worth and ranking of each individual confirmed by Forbes to be a billionaire. The value of individuals’ public holdings are updated every 5 minutes when respective stock markets are open (there will be a 15-minute delay for stock prices). Individuals whose fortunes are significantly tied to private companies will have their net worths updated once a day. In cases where an individual owns a stake in a private company that accounts for 20% or more of his or her net worth, the value of the company will be adjusted according to an industry- or region-specific market index provided by our partners at FactSet Research Systems when available. A rotating cast of the five biggest winners and losers throughout the day is featured at the top of the page, followed by the complete list of billionaires ranked in order of net worth.
1 Elon Musk
CEO, Tesla
Automotive
$280.9B
$9.4 B | 3.48%
REAL TIME NET WORTH
as of 1/13/22
Reflects change since 5 PM ET of prior trading day
Elon Musk is working to revolutionize transportation both on Earth, through electric car maker Tesla -- and in space, via rocket producer SpaceX.
He owns 23% of Tesla but has pledged more than half his stake as collateral for loans; Forbes has discounted his stake to take the loans into account.
The Tesla CEO stepped down as chairman in 2018, after making alleged "false statements" about a plan to take Tesla private, triggering an SEC probe.
SpaceX, Musk's rocket company, is valued at $74 billion after its latest funding round in February 2021.
He grew up in South Africa, then immigrated to Canada at age 17. He landed in the U.S. as a transfer student to the University of Pennsylvania.
2.Jeff Bezos
$191.1 B
Amazon
United States
Jeff Bezos founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 out of his garage in Seattle. He stepped down as CEO to become executive chairman on July 5, 2021.
Amazon thrived during the pandemic; revenues in 2020 grew 38% to $386 billion as people stayed home and made online purchases.
In April 2020, Bezos said he would give $100 million to Feed America, a nonprofit that operates food banks and food pantries across the country.
Amazon has faced criticism from U.S. senators and the general public for its treatment of warehouse workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
He and his wife MacKenzie divorced in 2019 after 25 years of marriage and he transferred a quarter of his 16% Amazon stake to her.
Bezos owns The Washington Post and Blue Origin, an aerospace company that is developing rockets for commercial use.
3.Bernard Arnault & family
$188.8 B
LVMH
France
One of the world's ultimate taste-makers, Bernard Arnault oversees an empire of 70 brands including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
In January 2021, LVMH completed a deal for American jeweler Tiffany & Co for $15.8 billion, believed to be the biggest luxury brand acquisition ever.
LVMH spent $3.2 billion in 2019 for luxury hospitality group, Belmond, which owns or manages 46 hotels, trains and river cruises.
His father made a small fortune in construction; Arnault got his start by putting up $15 million from that business to buy Christian Dior in 1985.
Four of Arnault's five children work in corners of the LVMH empire: Frédéric, Delphine, Antoine and Alexandre.
4.Bill Gates$-135.8 B
company name: Microsoft
Country:United States
Bill Gates turned his fortune from software firm Microsoft into a diversified fortune; his focus has shifted to zero-carbon energy investing and philanthropy.
On May 3, 2021, Bill and Melinda each announced on Twitter they were ending their marriage after 27 years. They will still co-chair the foundation.
Gates, who cofounded Microsoft with Paul Allen (d. 2018) in 1975, has transferred at least $5.7 billion worth of shares in public companies to Melinda.
As of March 2020, when Gates stepped down from the Microsoft board, he owned about 1% of the software and computing company's shares.
He has invested in dozens of companies including Canadian National Railway and AutoNation, and is one of the largest owners of farmland in the U.S.
To date, Gates has donated $35.8 billion worth of Microsoft stock to the Gates Foundation.
5.Larry Ellison- $121.6 B
Field name:software
Country:United States
Larry Ellison is chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder of software giant Oracle, of which he owns about 35%.
He gave up the Oracle CEO role in 2014 after 37 years at the helm.
Oracle has grown in part through steady acquisitions of software companies, the biggest of which was $9.3 billion for NetSuite in 2016.
In 2020, Ellison moved permanently to the Hawaiian island Lanai, which he bought nearly all of in 2012 for $300 million.
Ellison joined Tesla's board in December 2018, after purchasing 3 million Tesla shares earlier that year.
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