September was a blockbuster month for the world’s wealthiest. The top 10 richest individuals added a staggering $201 billion to their fortunes, driven by surging US stock markets that hit record highs.

As of October 1, 2025, their combined net worth sits at $2.3 trillion, with only three seeing slight dips.

Elon Musk nears half-trillion mark

Leading the pack for the 17th straight month, Elon Musk gained $75.2 billion, bringing his fortune to $490.8 billion, just shy of a historic $500 billion.

Tesla shares soared 33% due to investor excitement over Musk’s AI and robotics push and a potential $1 trillion pay package. Musk, 54, also helms SpaceX, X and AI firm xAI.

Larry Ellison’s record-breaking rally

Coming in second, Larry Ellison’s wealth surged $70.9 billion to $341.8 billion after Oracle stock jumped 24%, thanks to explosive projections for its cloud business and AI ventures.

On September 10 alone, Ellison’s net worth jumped nearly $100 billion, a single-day record.

Zuckerberg at number 3

Mark Zuckerberg remains third with $251.5 billion, even after a $1.5 billion dip tied to Meta’s stock performance. Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, lost $8.4 billion, dropping Amazon shares 4%. He retains the No. 4 spot with $232.5 billion.

Nvidia’s cofounder Jensen Huang jumped from No. 9 to No. 7, gaining $10.7 billion as demand for AI chips pushed Nvidia’s valuation to $4.5 trillion.

Larry Page (No. 5, $202.2B) and Sergey Brin (No. 6, $187.6B) gained from Alphabet’s rebound after a favourable antitrust ruling. Bernard Arnault, the only non-American in the top 10, dropped to No. 8 with $159.4 billion, despite a modest gain.

Steve Ballmer fell to No. 9, though he added $2.9 billion amid growth in Microsoft shares and his LA Clippers empire. Warren Buffett, at No. 10, saw a slight decline of $200 million, holding steady at $150.2 billion.

Top 10 richest people – October 1, 2025

Elon Musk – $490.8bn

Larry Ellison – $341.8bn

Mark Zuckerberg – $251.5bn

Jeff Bezos – $232.5bn

Larry Page – $202.2bn

Sergey Brin – $187.6bn

Jensen Huang – $162bn

Bernard Arnault – $159.4bn

Steve Ballmer – $156bn

Warren Buffett – $150.2bn