Bill Gates once sat atop the global rich list, but a decade-long surge in tech-driven fortunes has dramatically reshaped billionaire rankings and pushed the Microsoft Corp co-founder out of the top 10.

From $559 Billion To $2.6 Trillion: A Decade Of Explosive Wealth Growth

At the end of 2015, the world's 10 wealthiest individuals were collectively worth about $559 billion, reported Business Insider, citing the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 

By January 2026, that figure had ballooned to roughly $2.6 trillion, underscoring how asset appreciation — particularly in technology — has supercharged extreme wealth.

Elon Musk Emerges As The Clear No. 1

Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk is the most striking example of this shift.

The billionaire now ranks as the world's richest person with a net worth of about $682 billion.

Massive gains in Tesla's stock and soaring private valuations for SpaceX propelled Musk far ahead of his peers.

Alphabet Inc. co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin follow, each with fortunes well above $250 billion, reflecting the continued dominance of Google's advertising, cloud and artificial intelligence businesses.

Bezos, Zuckerberg And New Faces Round Out The Top 10

Amazon.com, Inc. founder Jeff Bezos remains near the top with a net worth of roughly $260 billion. Oracle Corp co-founder Larry Ellison and Meta Platforms, Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also feature prominently.

Luxury giant LVMH's Bernard Arnault, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Warren Buffett round up the current top 10.

Why Bill Gates Fell Out Of The Top Tier

Gates' absence from the 2026 top 10 is not the result of a collapsing fortune. With an estimated net worth of about $106 billion, he remains one of the world's richest people.

Instead, Gates donated tens of billions of dollars to philanthropy through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Last year, Gates committed to giving 99% of his remaining tech fortune to the foundation, with only Buffett's pledge to donate his wealth probably exceeding his contributions.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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