The AI-driven stock market surge this year has added more than half a trillion dollars to the fortunes of America's top tech billionaires, data shows (via The Guardian). The combined wealth of the 10 richest US tech founders and executives rose from $1.9 trillion to nearly $2.5 trillion in the year to Christmas Eve.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, was among the biggest winners. His net worth jumped nearly 50% to $645 billion, fueled by his electric car company Tesla and his artificial intelligence venture, xAI. Musk became the first person ever to surpass $500 billion in net worth in October, and he could become the world's first trillionaire if Tesla meets its ambitious targets.
Larry Page, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang
Google co-founder Larry Page and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also saw huge gains, with fortunes rising to $270 billion and $255 billion, respectively. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang gained $41.8 billion, bringing his wealth to $159 billion, as demand for advanced AI chips pushed the company's market value past $5 trillion in October.
Bernard Arnault, Amancio Ortega
While technology dominated the gains, other billionaires benefited too. French luxury goods tycoon Bernard Arnault added $28.5 billion, and Spain's Inditex owner Amancio Ortega gained $34.3 billion, partly due to record dividends from his retail empire, which includes Zara.
