Billionaires with AI investments make up six of the 10 wealthiest people in the world, according to the Forbes 2026 World’s Billionaires List.
Standing at the front of this row of tech moguls is Elon Musk, who has more than doubled his fortune since last year. Musk’s fortune rose from $342 billion in 2025 to $839 billion this year, in part due to his investment in Grok, the AI chatbot developed by his company xAI, as well as SpaceX and Tesla, which have generated the majority of his wealth. He is the wealthiest person in the world for the second time in a row, according to the 2026 World’s Billionaires List.
Leading this group is Elon Musk, whose fortune has more than doubled since last year. Musk’s wealth rose from $342 billion in 2025 to $839 billion in 2026, thanks in part to his investment in Grok, the AI chatbot developed by his company xAI, as well as SpaceX and Tesla, which generate the majority of his wealth. He is the wealthiest person in the world for the second year in a row.
Musk launched Grok, affiliated with the social media platform X, in 2023. xAI, the company behind Grok, announced it had raised over $20 billion in funding in January 2026, despite past controversy over misinformation and explicit deepfakes produced by the chatbot.
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Despite Musk’s significant wealth, he lives in much simpler conditions compared to the rest of his ultra-wealthy cohort. The multi-billionaire lives in a relatively small house near SpaceX’s launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. Yesterday on Musk’s social media platform X, his mother, Maye Musk, claimed there is ‘no food in the fridge’ and the ‘shower only has one towel’ in her son’s house. While Musk’s frugality may save him some money, it is his many companies that have made his wealth soar over the past year.
Despite his fortune, Musk lives in comparatively modest conditions. He resides in a small house near SpaceX’s launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas. His mother, Maye Musk, posted on X that there is ‘no food in the fridge’ and the ‘shower only has one towel’ in his home. While frugal, it is Musk’s companies that have driven his wealth growth over the past year.
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Sitting second and third on the list are Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, with fortunes of $257 billion and $237 billion, boosted in part by their company’s AI development, including Gemini software. Fifth on the list is Mark Zuckerberg, whose 2004 university project Facebook has grown into the social media company Meta, which is also investing heavily in AI.
AI infrastructure has also created immense wealth. Jensen Huang, co-founder of graphics chip maker Nvidia, has seen his net worth grow from $9.8 billion in 2020 to $154 billion, benefiting from the recent AI boom.
Of the 390 newcomers to the 2026 Billionaires List, 45 made their money from AI. Leading this group is Edwin Chen, founder of AI training company Surge AI, with a fortune of $18 billion. China’s Yan Junjie, chairman and CEO of AI model company MiniMax Group, is new to the list with $7.2 billion, following his company’s IPO in January.
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The number of billionaires is also at a record high in 2026, with 3,428 individuals possessing fortunes of 10 digits or more. These ultra-wealthy individuals have a combined net worth of $20.1 trillion, close to the GDP of the United States, which was $29.2 trillion at the end of 2025.
Owner of French luxury conglomerate LVMH, Bernard Arnault, is seventh on the list with $172 billion. He previously topped the list in 2023 with $233 billion.
Some billionaires see giving away wealth as part of their strategy. Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $26.3 billion to charities and non-profits since 2019. She currently has $28.6 billion, making her the 84th wealthiest person in the world and the 15th richest woman.
Women on the list derive wealth from both inheritance and self-made ventures. Abigail Johnson, chairman and CEO of Boston-based Fidelity Investments, has a fortune of $33.2 billion. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, co-owner of shipping giant MSC, has $44.5 billion from a company she founded with her husband in 1970. Zhong Huijuan, CEO of Chinese drugmaker Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group, is Asia’s wealthiest self-made woman with $18.1 billion.
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