Top 10 Richest People in the World 2025: In a day full of dramatic ups and downs in the billionaire rankings, Elon Musk has managed to hold on to the top spot, despite a brief challenge from Larry Ellison. Let’s take a closer look at who’s leading the pack right now, and how recent market moves are reshaping the landscape of global wealth.
A Rollercoaster at the Top
- On September 10, 2025, Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, saw his net worth surge—by nearly $89–101 billion in one trading session—after Oracle posted outstanding quarterly results, especially driven by strong cloud and AI-infrastructure demand. This spike briefly pushed him ahead of Elon Musk on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
- However, by end of day, Musk reclaimed the number one position. The difference between them is now extremely small—just about $1 billion, according to reports.
So as of now, Elon Musk remains the richest person in the world, though Ellison’s rise has made the competition tighter than ever.
The Top 10 Richest (Bloomberg Billionaires Index Snapshot, Sep 10-11, 2025)
Here are the current top 10 according to Bloomberg, and how they stack up:
| Rank | Name | Approx. Net Worth | Source of Wealth / Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | ~US$384 billion | Tesla, SpaceX, other ventures |
| 2 | Larry Ellison | ~US$383 billion | Oracle, mainly cloud & AI growth |
| 3 | Mark Zuckerberg | ~ US$264 billion | Meta, social media, VR/metaverse investments |
| 4 | Jeff Bezos | ~ US$252 billion | Amazon, e-commerce, cloud |
| 5 | Larry Page | ~ US$210 billion | Google / Alphabet holdings |
| 6 | Sergey Brin | ~ US$196 billion | Also Google / Alphabet |
| 7 | Jensen Huang | ~ US$154 billion | Nvidia, AI chipmaker |
| 8 | Steve Ballmer | ~ US$172 billion | Former Microsoft, investment holdings |
| 9 | Bernard Arnault | ~ US$162 billion | Luxury goods & fashion (LVMH) |
| 10 | Michael Dell | ~ US$151 billion | Dell Technologies & related investments. |
What’s Driving the Shifts
Several forces are behind these recent changes in rankings:
- AI & Cloud Earnings: Oracle’s recent earnings report blew past expectations, especially in its cloud infrastructure and AI-related contracts. That fueled a sharp rise in its stock price, boosting Ellison’s net worth dramatically.
- Volatility in Tech Stocks: While companies like Oracle have gained, others (including parts of Musk’s portfolio) have seen fluctuations. Tesla’s valuation has been under pressure in some segments, causing tight margins in wealth comparisons.
- Speed of Wealth Change: What’s remarkable is how fast fortunes are shifting. Ellison’s one-day jump is being called one of the largest single-day gains ever. It shows how sensitive wealth rankings are to market sentiment, earnings surprises, and tech demand.
- Global Tech Dominance: Almost all of the top 10 come from technology, AI, cloud computing, or platforms. The dominance of tech & digital platforms in creating and holding wealth continues.
Why Elon Musk Still Stays #1—For Now
Despite the challenge, Musk retains the top spot due to several advantages:
- His stakes in companies like Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, and other ventures still give him a broader spread of wealth. Even if one part dips, others help hold up his total net worth.
- Market close prices and how gains/losses settle overnight matter—a strong showing by one competitor in after-hours or intraday trading doesn’t always translate to sustained ranking if there’s pullback. That’s what happened with Ellison.
What to Watch Next
- Can Ellison sustain his momentum? Oracle will need to keep delivering strong AI / cloud performance. Any misstep or overvaluation could lead to a correction.
- Tesla’s fortunes, and how Musk’s non-Tesla businesses (SpaceX, etc.) perform, will also matter. External factors like regulatory pressures, production slowdowns, or macroeconomic risks could impact his ranking.
- Other tech billionaires waiting in the wings—those like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, or leaders in AI hardware—could make jumps if their companies announce major breakthroughs or contracts.
- How stock markets react to global events, inflation, interest rates, and geopolitical risks will continue to shake up these rankings.