David Granahan

Wed, Jun 11, 2025, 1:03 PM9 min read

It can be aspirational to look at the richest people in the world and study the background, techniques and tendencies that characterize their journey. By analyzing their wealth-building traits and areas they have invested in, you can perhaps start applying their business acumen to your everyday life.

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These founders, leaders and visionaries are individuals with a unique story behind their success that allowed them to amass vast amounts of wealth. Here’s a look at the top 10 richest people in the world (as of June 1, 2025:

1. Elon Musk: $394 billion

2. Mark Zuckerberg: $241 billion

3. Jeff Bezos: $228 billion

4. Larry Ellison: $213 billion

5. Warren Buffett: $154 billion

6. Larry Page: $146 billion

7. Bernard Arnault and family: $142 billion

8. Sergey Brin: $138 billion

9. Steve Ballmer: $135 billion

10. Amancio Ortega: $125 billion

Here’s an even closer look at how the world’s 10 richest people on Forbes’ Billionaires List got to where they are.

Elon Musk has a net worth of $394 billion.

• Age: 53

• Nationality: South Africa

• Companies: Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink, PayPal, X (formerly Twitter)

• Industry: Technology

• Quote: “I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”

Elon Musk founded Tesla and still holds about 12.8% of the company between stock and options.

However, Musk has long been occupied with several other well-known companies and had his roots within a group known as the “PayPal Mafia.” This consisted of serial entrepreneurs and angel investors who made up PayPal’s alumni and have been extremely successful in their own right.

Musk may be the richest man in the world, but he doesn’t want to stop there. Since October 2022, he’s owned the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He also owns Neuralink and The Boring Company and is the founder and CEO of SpaceX.

Though he had recently aligned with America’s political right-wing, publicly and financially supporting Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and serving as Senior Advisor to President Trump via the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he has recently had a falling out with The White House and it’s unclear what political moves he’ll make next.

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Mark Zuckerberg has a net worth of $241 billion.

• Age: 41

• Nationality: USA

• Company: Meta

• Industry: Technology

• Quote: “In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”