Top 10 Rich Men in America

America’s richest 400 gained a collective $500 billion this year. That makes up for a record-tying amount of losses last year. Elon Musk remains the richest man in the country, as he’s transformed terrestrial and extraterrestrial transportation with Tesla and SpaceX.

He’s followed by Larry Ellison of Oracle (ORCL), who’s grown the tech company into a software, hardware and cloud computing powerhouse.

1. Steve Ballmer

Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft Corporation, has accumulated wealth through his ownership of 333.3 million shares of the company’s stock. His fortune also stems from his purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA basketball team.

Born in Detroit, Michigan on March 24, 1956, Ballmer was raised in an affluent suburb of Farmington Hills. He attended college prep advanced courses at Lawrence Technological University and the private Detroit Country Day School before graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1977 with a BA in Applied Math and Economics.

Besides his vast monetary wealth, Ballmer has made notable contributions in the realm of philanthropy. His story, spanning from the corridors of Microsoft to the courts of the NBA, epitomizes the belief that dedication and unyielding pursuits transcend all limitations.

2. Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg’s vast fortune largely comes from cofounding and controlling financial news and information service media company Bloomberg LP. He owns 88% of the business, which generates north of $12 billion in revenue. But he’s also an influential political figure, having served three terms as Mayor of New York City, during which he cut crime and improved public health and education. He’s also a major philanthropist, donating millions to gun control and fighting climate change.

The AI craze has been a boon for Nvidia cofounder and CEO Huang. His company has the highest market share in chips used for artificial intelligence systems. As a result, his net worth has surged, and he’s returned to the top 10. His return marks one of the biggest gains in percentage terms of any individual on this list. He’s also diversified with stakes in space exploration and flying cars companies.

3. Bernard Arnault

Arnault, who grew up in Roubaix, an industrial city in northern France, studied engineering at Ecole Polytechnique. He started his career with his father’s construction company, Ferret-Savinel. In 1984, he bought the French luxury brand Christian Dior and formed LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

His LVMH empire includes 75 fashion brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora, as well as the luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. His holding company Agache also backs venture capital firm Aglae Ventures, which has investments in companies like Netflix and TikTok parent company ByteDance.

Last year, his net worth briefly surpassed Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s to become the world’s richest person. His philanthropic activities include donations to the Palace of Versailles and the Frank Gehry-designed Fondation Louis Vuitton contemporary art museum in Paris. He’s confident that demand for luxury goods will outlast tech products.

4. Bill Gates

Bill Gates became a billionaire at age 31 when Microsoft went public in 1986. He accumulated his wealth through investment in the technology company and his leadership of its business operations. After stepping down as CEO, he devoted his time to philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

He and cofounder Paul Allen developed Microsoft’s computer software through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive tactics. The company established a dominant position in the global industry, and its iconic products like Windows, Office and the graphical user interface helped cement its legacy.

He lives in Medina, Washington with his wife Melinda. Together they have committed philanthropically to research aimed at extending human lifespan and curing deadly diseases. The philanthropic initiative they founded with Warren Buffett and others is known as the Giving Pledge. They have already donated more than $330 billion to their cause.

5. Mark Zuckerberg

Founder of social media giant Facebook, Zuckerberg began his tech journey in a Harvard dorm room with an early site called Facemash that allowed students to rate the attractiveness of their peers. He eventually dropped out of college to focus on the website that would become Facebook in 2004.

The Facebook CEO has built a massive empire that includes Instagram and WhatsApp, all of which are top market leaders in their respective areas. Zuckerberg is also making substantial investments in artificial intelligence and virtual reality, which may help shape the future of online interactions.

Like other titans on this list, Zuckerberg is focused on extending the human lifespan and has donated hundreds of millions to research into diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He’s reportedly a fan of cars that cost under $30,000, and has been seen driving an Acura TSX and Honda Fit.

6. Sergey Brin

Sergey Brin is a cofounder of Google and one of the richest people in America. He teamed up with Larry Page to create the Internet search engine that changed how online information is searched. He is also a prolific philanthropist who has given to numerous charities including the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.

Brin has a private yacht that can accommodate up to 50 guests and a luxury penthouse in New York City. He and his ex-wife Anne Wojcicki run the Brin Wojcicki Family Foundation, which provides support for education and science.

Like Bill Gates, Brin is one of the few people on this list whose wealth is not derived from technology stocks. He is also an avid collector of art and a frequent traveler. He is known to spend his free time playing chess with friends and taking classes.

7. Steve Ballmer

The former Microsoft CEO has seen his wealth surge since 2014, when he bought the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team for $2 billion. He also ramped up his philanthropy, putting more than $2 billion into his donor-advised fund and focusing on economic mobility.

Ballmer was one of the earliest employees at Microsoft and was awarded a sizeable equity stake that ballooned in value as the company became a global giant. He has since stepped down as the company’s CEO but retains a 4% share of Microsoft and also owns a variety of other business ventures, including professional sports teams.

The AI craze has been a boon for Huang’s Nvidia, which makes the chips used in many AI systems. The company’s shares have soared, lifting him into the top 20 for the first time this year. His net worth is estimated at $38 billion.

8. Larry Ellison

The cofounder of Google and its parent company Alphabet occupies an elite position among the richest tech titans. His influence extends beyond search engines with his stake in various other platforms including YouTube and Android. His leadership skills have been credited for his massive wealth.

In 1977 Ellison started Oracle, creating a relational database and revolutionizing the way businesses store data. He has since expanded the company to include hardware, enterprise software and cloud computing.

He also has diversified his portfolio with investments in America Movil, the largest telecommunications operator in Latin America. He has also been a major investor in Tesla and owns a yacht team, the Indian Wells tennis tournament and real estate including Hawaii’s Lanai island. He has a history of lavish spending, prompting his accountant to advise him to “budget and plan.” He has financed his lifestyle with Oracle sales and dividends.

9. Mark Cuban

Mark Cuban, who has a net worth of $4.7 billion, is known for his role as host of Shark Tank. He has also invested in a number of socially driven startups, such as Luminaid, which provides solar lanterns and phone chargers to families in disaster areas, and Paladin, which connects lawyers with people and nonprofits that need pro bono assistance.

Cuban’s wealth and influence come primarily from his ownership of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, which he bought in 2000. He is also a philanthropist, including founding the Fallen Patriot Fund to support families of US military members who have died in service. He also supports small businesses, as evidenced by his 2022 decision to start an online pharmacy called Cost Plus Drugs. The company aims to lower the cost of prescription drugs and provide transparency into pricing.

10. George Soros

George Soros’s journey to financial success serves as a testament to perseverance and adaptability. His story also demonstrates the importance of using one’s wealth to make a positive impact on society. Soros’s philanthropic efforts through his Open Society Foundations have made a significant contribution to democracy, social justice, and education.

The AI craze has driven a surge in shares of Nvidia, lifting cofounder and CEO Huang into the top 20 for the first time. He and his fellow entrants are 30% richer than they were last year, on average, outpacing the 12% gain of all 400 billionaires.