From Elon Musk to Mukesh Ambani: 10 of the richest people in the world

Asia's richest person and Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked eighth on the Hurun Global Rich List 2021. From Tesla Inc.'s Elon Musk to Reliance Industry's Mukesh Ambani, here is the list of top 10 richest persons.

Source: Hurun Global Rich List 2021

Elon Musk, CEO, Tesla

Elon Musk, 49, has become the world's richest person, adding US$151bn over the last year, which works out at just under a billion dollars every two days, to take him to US$197bn. The bulk of his wealth is from his 21% share of Tesla, which is worth just under US$800bn. SpaceX, in which Musk has a 52% share, added US$13bn in value in the past year, after becoming the first private company to put people into orbit, an achievement previously claimed by just three global superpowers. Musk has not been far from the headlines all year, most recently last month, when he announced a US$1.5bn investment from Tesla into bitcoin. Other projects that have gained attention include the Boring Company which has been digging tunnels to operate high-speed rail service around the Las Vegas Convention Center and Neuralink, which aims to create a working brain to machine interface. Curiously, in 2013, Musk almost sold Tesla to Google for US$11bn.

Jeff Bezos,  CEO, Amazon

Jeff Bezos, 57, is second with US$189bn, up from US$49bn. Bezos and Musk now make up the 'Big Two' in the world, alternating for the title of the richest person, and competing in the field of space exploration. In the past year, Bezos committed US$10 bn to combat climate change and bought an estate in Beverly Hills, California, for US$165mn.  Ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, 50, was also up US$17bn to US$61bn to maintain a Top 25 place.

Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive, LVMH

'Luxury King' Bernard Arnault, 71, of LVMH dropped down to one place to third with US$114bn. At the outset of the outbreak, Arnault was down US$25bn but has since bounced back to end the year with 7% more than last year. The biggest news for Arnault this year was the successful takeover of US luxury brand Tiffany for US$16bn in December, with his son Alexandre Arnault taking a senior leadership position there.

Bill Gates, American business magnate

Bill Gates, 65, was fourth with US$110bn, up 4%. Gates made the headlines in March last year after resigning as a director of Microsoft, to focus on his philanthropy. Gates has become the largest farmland owner in the USA with holdings of 242,000 acres of land. The Gates Foundation donated US$250mn towards Covid relief.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, 36, who became a billionaire at the age of 23, broke through the US$100bn mark for the first time to keep a Top 5 place with his wealth up 20%. Facebook today has 2.8 billion registered users, up 12%, despite facing growing anti-trust headwinds from the US government.  Zuckerberg continued to make headlines this past year, first for changing the privacy policy of WhatsApp that allows Facebook to share its extensive data and second with the decision to block news content in Australia.

Warren Buffet,  CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

Ace investor Warren Buffett, 90, of Berkshire Hathaway, hung on to a Top 10 spot, with US$91bn, despite losing US$11bn last year, more than any other billionaire on the list. Berkshire Hathaway's most substantial investments are in Apple and Bank of America, totalling over US$90bn, and in the past year bought Dominion Energy Natural Gas assets in a US$10bn deal.

Zhong Shanshan, Chinese businessman, YST

'Bottled Water King' Zhong Shanshan, 67, took the world by surprise, when he became the first Chinese to break into the Hurun Global Rich List Top 10 with a personal fortune of US$85bn on the back of bottled water Nongfu Spring's Hong Kong IPO last September. Hangzhou-based Zhong, who overtook Mukesh Ambani to become the richest Asian, also listed a vaccine business he founded, which today has a market cap of over US$10bn, making him one of only a handful of entrepreneurs in the world today to found more than one US$10bn business.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries

Mumbai-based Mukesh Ambani, 63, saw his wealth up 24% to US$83bn, on the back of a surge in the value of energy and telecom giant Reliance. India's largest exporter, Reliance accounts for 8% of the country's exports and 5% of India's total revenues from customs and excise duty. Reliance is planning a calculated shift to renewable energy and has decided to venture into the battery-making business ahead of the electric vehicle boom.

Steve Ballmer, American businessman, Microsoft (Main company)

Steve Ballmer, 64, kept a Top 10 place with a 19% increase in his wealth to US$80bn, on the back of Microsoft's share price surge. The owner of NBA team Los Angeles Clippers, Ballmer has donated US$2bn towards helping lift Americans out of poverty.

Bertrand Puech & family

Bertrand Puech & family, 84, of French luxury giant Hermes, broke into the Top 10 for the first time, after a 45 per cent increase in his wealth to US$80bn. The fifth-generation descendant of founder Thierry Herms, Puech and family own 67% of Herms.