Elon Musk nears trillionaire status: Check full list of top 10 richest people in the world

This October has been a dramatic one for the world’s richest individuals, with six of the top ten billionaires witnessing major fluctuations in their fortunes, according to Forbes. Tech titan Elon Musk continues to dominate the global wealth rankings, holding the top spot with an estimated $437 billion fortune — up $6 billion since last month.

Musk briefly crossed the historic $500 billion threshold twice in October, becoming the first person in history to reach that milestone. His wealth is set to climb even further after Tesla shareholders approved a record-breaking $1 trillion compensation package, a move expected to secure Musk’s leadership at the company and potentially make him the world’s first trillionaire within the next decade.

The Tesla board’s approval came after a tense vote, following reports that Musk might consider leaving the company if the deal didn’t pass. “Elon is critical to Tesla’s future,” Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm told shareholders in a statement dated October 27. The new pay plan ties Musk’s compensation directly to Tesla’s future market growth and profitability milestones.

While Musk soared, others saw mixed results. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg suffered the steepest decline in October, losing $29 billion, pushing him down two spots. Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, gained $22 billion, moving up to third place, while Warren Buffett fell out of the top ten for the first time in years after losing $7 billion. His spot was claimed by Michael Dell, whose fortune rose by $14 billion due to surging shares of Dell Technologies and Broadcom.

According to Forbes, all ten richest individuals are men worth at least $155 billion, with nine Americans and one Frenchman — Bernard Arnault, the luxury mogul behind LVMH.

Here’s the updated Top 10 Richest People in the World (as of November 1, 2025) with a brief profile of each:

1. Elon Musk – $437 Billion (Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI):  CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk also leads social media platform X and AI firm xAI. Known for his ambitious ventures, he briefly hit $500 billion in October.
2. Larry Ellison – $320 Billion (Oracle): Co-founder of Oracle, Ellison revolutionized software and cloud computing. His fortune fell by $22 billion this month.
3. Jeff Bezos – $254 Billion (Amazon, Blue Origin): Founder of Amazon and space company Blue Origin, Bezos returned to third place after gaining $22 billion thanks to strong market performance.
4. Larry Page – $232 Billion (Google, Alphabet): Google co-founder and Alphabet board member, Page saw a $30 billion increase in October due to tech and AI investments.
5. Mark Zuckerberg – $223 Billion (Meta): Meta CEO lost $29 billion in October amid stock dips. He founded Facebook, now Meta, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp.
6. Sergey Brin – $215 Billion (Google, Alphabet): Google co-founder, Brin returned to prominence through his work on the Gemini AI chatbot, increasing his fortune by $28 billion.
7. Bernard Arnault – $183 Billion (LVMH): French luxury goods titan behind Louis Vuitton, Sephora, and Tiffany & Co., Arnault added $23 billion in wealth this month.
8. Jensen Huang – $176 Billion (Nvidia): Nvidia CEO Huang saw a $14 billion increase as the company became the first ever to reach $5 trillion in market value.
9. Steve Ballmer – $156 Billion (Microsoft): Former Microsoft CEO and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, Ballmer retains a significant stake in Microsoft.
10. Michael Dell – $155 Billion (Dell Technologies): Founder of Dell Technologies, he reentered the top ten after shares of Dell and Broadcom surged, replacing Warren Buffett.

With the tech sector driving most of the world’s wealth growth, 2025 continues to prove that innovation — particularly in AI, cloud computing, and space exploration — is reshaping global fortunes faster than ever before.