As the age-old phrase says, money makes the world go around, and in 2021, there is a tonne of people who have more money than they know what to do with. In this digital age of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, global conglomerates make more cash than ever before. So we thought it would be a good idea to rank the top five richest people globally at the time of writing and tell you just how much these people are worth. Believe us; you will be shocked at the figures we throw at you. So without further delay, here are the top five richest people in the world as of 2021.
5 – Mark Zuckerberg
First up on our top five, we have a Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg. The man who was the subject of the film, The Social Network, has accumulated quite a lot of cash, most of which through Facebook and various other acquisitions such as Whatsapp, Oculus, and Instagram, to name a few. In short, this man may look like a walking, talking lizard man, but he is the undisputed king of the social media industry, and the numbers go a long way towards proving that fact. Zuckerberg’s estimated net worth is a whopping $92.5 million. This is all the more impressive, considering that Zuckerberg has sold off many of his Facebook shares. Mark now only owns 13% of the iconic social network. All of this and the man is only thirty-six years of age, a staggering achievement and one that will hopefully inspire generations of entrepreneurs for years to come.
4 – Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault may not be as much of a household name. Yet despite this, he has managed to rack up stacks of cash, most of which through a luxury goods company called LVMH. Bernard owns 97% of this business, and this conglomerate owns companies such as Mark Jacobs, Hennessey, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Sephora, and many more. Owning one of these companies would potentially make you a multi-billionaire, so imagine if you used tens of companies, all of which being globally recognized as the best in their field. Bernard’s net worth is approximately $109 billion. A figure that Bernard has gradually nurtured from a young age. His wealth would all start from inheriting his father’s construction business, but even Bernard couldn’t have dreamed of the success he has seen throughout his career. As we said, he may not be a household name, but despite this, Bernard Arnault is the fourth richest person in the world.
3 – Bill Gates
For the best part of the last two decades, Bill Gates has been known as the richest person globally, a title that he held until just a few years ago. As many of you will know, Bill acquired most of his riches through his company Microsoft. Bill may only own 1.32% of the company now, but through his tireless worth down the years, Bill has tied up a lot of his money in assets, all of which have a cumulative value of over $100 billion. Plus, that small percentage of Microsoft is still worth a staggering $22 billion, perhaps showcasing the size of the company he has built throughout his career. It is estimated that Bill Gates has a net worth of approximately $132 billion. A figure that Bill has stated quite recently that he plans to leave to his children or give to charity. Bill has been known for his philanthropic pursuits down the years, and we can think of no better way to spend that kind of cash. After all, you can’t take it with you when you’re gone.
2 – Jeff Bezos
Starting Amazon as a humble online book store, Jeff managed to grow this project into the globally recognized online retailer we know today. Since these humble beginnings in 1994, we have seen Amazon create the most convenient online shopping experience imaginable and expand into industries like streaming, gaming, and many more. All the while, Jeff has been steering the ship. Jeff’s estimated net worth is reported at around $182 billion. Most of this figure comprises his 11.3% share in Amazon, which is worth approximately $165 billion. Then the rest is tied up in assets like property. Since his public divorce from his wife, Jeff has seen his overall wealth cut down to size. However, even after this, he remains the second richest person on the planet, that sort of makes it all the more impressive.
1 – Elon Musk
Then lastly, we have the man, the myth, the meme, Elon Musk. Elon is easily the most recognizable name on this list, partly due to his very open relationship with the media. Elon has smoked joints on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he’s married to music artist Grimes, and he named his kid X-AE-12, for goodness sake. If that doesn’t get your attention, we don’t know what will. Putting that aside, though, he is a very clever man who has made his money thanks to companies like Tesla and SpaceX. Elon has an estimated net worth of around $197 billion. $141 billion of this figure is made up through his 20% stake in Tesla, and approximately $20 billion is courtesy of his efforts with SpaceX. Then the rest he has made through various other ventures, including being a founder of Paypal. Elon is a clever, charismatic, and crude businessman, and we wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to double this figure in the best twenty years.
So that’s our list of the top five richest people in the world. What do you make of this list? How many of these people do you know? Who were you surprised to see missing from this list? Let us know in the comments section below and as always, thank you for reading.
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