Feng Huang Wang·2025-12-26 05:10Core Insights - In 2025, the global billionaire population experienced record wealth growth, largely driven by advancements in artificial intelligence and the technology sector [1] - The total wealth of billionaires reached $18.7 trillion, an increase of $3.6 trillion year-on-year, and up $10 trillion since 2020 [1] - The number of billionaires with a net worth exceeding $100 billion reached a record 19, compared to only one six years ago [1] Billionaire Rankings - Elon Musk leads the list with a net worth of $751.9 billion, primarily from Tesla and SpaceX [2] - Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, have net worths of $258.1 billion and $238.1 billion, respectively [2] - The top ten billionaires collectively saw their wealth increase by over $700 billion in the past year, with Musk alone gaining $330.9 billion [2][3] Wealth Growth Factors - Musk's wealth surge is attributed to the significant valuation increases of Tesla and SpaceX, with SpaceX's valuation more than doubling to $800 billion [3] - Larry Ellison of Oracle gained nearly $100 billion in a single day due to a 36% rise in Oracle's stock price, although it later fell by about 40% [3] - The wealth of Google's founders increased due to the launch of the Gemini 3 model, which positively impacted Google's stock price [3] New Billionaires - A significant portion of the new billionaires this year emerged from the artificial intelligence sector, with many being self-made [4] - Notable new entrants include Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, and seven key employees who left OpenAI [4]