Mark Zuckerberg replaces Jeff Bezos as second richest person in the world

Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook (now rebranded as Meta) in 2004. Meta also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, two highly successful communication platforms

Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg on Friday surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the second richest person in the world, data showed. Zuckerberg's net worth is $206 billion, second only to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who leads with $256 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires’ Index.

The US-based billionaire co-founded Facebook (now Meta) in 2004. In 20 years, the company has emerged as one of the most influential platforms for global information exchange.

Meta also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, two highly successful communication platforms. The California-based company reported a revenue of $134.9 billion in 2023 and has about 4 billion monthly users.

 

Musk is projected to be a trillionaire by 2027

While this race among billionaires may seem astonishing, a recent report has highlighted the timeline for these public figures to become trillionaires. Dubai-based Informa Connect Academy, in September, predicted that Musk could become a trillionaire by 2027.

According to the report, Musk could be followed by Indian industrialist Gautam Adani to achieve trillionaire status. Adani’s wealth has been growing at 123 per cent annually, which could make him a trillionaire by 2028.

Top 10 richest people globally

Currently, Adani is the 17th richest person in the world and is the second Asian on the list with $100 billion. The richest Asian and Indian is industrialist Mukesh Ambani, whose net worth stands at $107 billion.

Other prominent names in the top 10 include Bernard Arnault, the CEO of French fashion giant LVMH; Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates; investor Warren Buffett; Larry Page; former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer; and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.