Mark Zuckerberg's Net Worth Soars, Closing Gap with Jeff Bezos

Mark Zuckerberg's wealth has surged by $40.7 billion this year, propelling him to a net worth of $248 billion. The rise is primarily driven by Meta's record-breaking stock performance, which has pushed its market value to $1.78 trillion.

As a result, Zuckerberg ranks third on Bloomberg's Billionaires Index, just $12 billion behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Meta's stock has surged over 17% in 2023, fueled by investor optimism about the company's artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives.

The surge in Meta's stock has added $235 billion to its valuation, bringing the company's value to nearly $1.8 trillion. Zuckerberg's wealth is now just $12 billion shy of Bezos, who has seen his net worth increase by $21 billion this year.

However, both Zuckerberg and Bezos trail Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who holds the top spot on the rich list with a net worth of $424 billion. Larry Ellison of Oracle and Bernard Arnault of LVMH follow Zuckerberg and Bezos, with net worths of $194 billion and $191 billion, respectively.

Zuckerberg's leap to second place in October 2024 came on the heels of Meta's stock surge. However, Tesla's subsequent stock surge has widened the gap between Musk and his closest rivals. It remains uncertain if Musk's dominance at the top of the rich list will be permanent, given the volatility of technology fortunes.