New york: The world's wealthiest individuals have experienced notable shifts in their fortunes recently, but Elon Musk maintains his position as the richest person globally, even after a substantial decrease in his wealth.
According to Ghana Web,the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was valued at approximately $690 billion as of August 1, 2026, reflecting a decline of about $363 billion from the previous month.
Musk briefly achieved the milestone of becoming the world's first trillionaire in June following SpaceX's public offering. However, his fortune suffered a significant setback in July as the values of SpaceX and Tesla both diminished. SpaceX shares plummeted by 37% during the month, while Tesla's stock saw a 26% decline. Consequently, Musk's fortune has dropped below the $700 billion threshold for the first time since December.
Despite this decline, Musk remains ahead of Larry Page, Google's co-founder, who ranks second with an estimated wealth of $292 billion. Page experienced an increase of approximately $1 billion in his fortune over the month. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, recorded the largest gain among the top ten richest individuals. His net worth increased by about $29 billion to reach $278 billion, propelling him into third place.
Sergey Brin, another Google co-founder, now occupies the fourth spot with an estimated fortune of $269 billion, after adding about $1 billion during the month. In fifth place is Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, with an estimated fortune of $229 billion, though he lost around $6 billion in July.
Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Meta, holds the sixth position with an estimated $191 billion. Meta, formerly Facebook, owns major platforms including Instagram and WhatsApp. Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, ranks seventh with an estimated fortune of $174 billion, boosted by Nvidia's strong position in the artificial intelligence sector.
Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, has dropped from seventh to eighth place after losing approximately $24 billion, bringing his estimated wealth to $168 billion. Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, is the only non-American in the top ten, ranking ninth with an estimated $146 billion. Rounding out the top ten is Warren Buffett with an estimated fortune of $145 billion. The 95-year-old stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in late 2025 but remains its chairman.
Forbes estimates that the combined net worth of the ten richest individuals stood at $2.6 trillion as of August 1, 2026, with their fortunes varying daily, primarily influenced by fluctuations in the stock market.