Oct. 5 (UPI) — Meta founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg bypassed Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to become the world’s second-richest billionaire with a fortune of about $211 billion.
Zuckerberg’s fortune grew by $78.1 billion in 2024, which enabled him to pass Bezos and Bernard Arnault, who have fortunes valued at $209 billion and $193 billion, respectively, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The growth in value of Meta shares, which increased in value by 72% this year and closed at an all-time high of $595.94 on Friday, grew Zuckerberg’s fortune.
Meta owns and operates the Facebook, Instagram and Threads social media platforms and the mobile messaging app WhatsApp.
Zuckerberg on Sept. 25 said a more recent Meta AI venture likely will become the world’s most-used artificial intelligence platform and currently has about 500 million monthly users.
He said an anticipated launch in the European Union should make it the world’s most used AI platform.
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk remains the world’s wealthiest individual with a fortune valued at $263 billion, which is up some$33.8 billion from a year ago.
Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos are the only individuals with fortunes exceeding $200 billion.
Oracle founder Larry Ellison rounds out the top-five wealthiest individuals with a fortune totaling $183 billion, which is up $59.6 billion from a year ago.