Focus on the BIG picture.
Saturday, Oct 17, 2026

Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman Join Record-Breaking Forbes Billionaires List

Taylor Swift and Sam Altman, creator of ChatGPT, have made their first appearances on the Forbes World's Billionaires List with estimated fortunes of $1.1bn and $1bn respectively.
Bernard Arnault and his family topped the chart with a record-breaking $233bn.

There were a total of 2,781 billionaires in 2024, a 141 increase from last year and 26 more than the previous record in 2021.

The collective wealth of the billionaires reached $14.2tn.

Swift joined the list due to her megastar status.

Taylor Swift made history at the Grammy Awards, winning the album of the year prize for the fourth time with her re-recorded album "1989 (Taylor's Version)".

Swift's success extends beyond music, as her attendance at American football games to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, reportedly boosted NFL viewership.

In the world of business, eight of the top 10 richest people are from the US, with six of them coming from the technology industry.

Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, is the second-richest person with an estimated net worth of $195bn, followed by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

Musk's net worth has increased by 8% since last year but is lower than his record-breaking $300bn net worth in November 2021.

Forbes released its list of billionaires for 2024, with Jeff Bezos topping the list with a net worth of $177 billion.

Other notable additions include basketball legend Magic Johnson and TV producer Dick Wolf, each with a net worth of $1.2 billion.

This year saw a record-breaking 14 centi-billionaires and a total wealth of $2 trillion among the 2,781 billionaires, representing a 255% increase from a decade ago.

The US continues to have the most billionaires with 813 on the list.

The text reports on Forbes' latest list of the world's billionaires.

China remains the second-largest country with billionaires, following the US.

The UK is home to the three richest people: hedge fund manager Michael Platt, Sir Jim Ratcliffe (part-owner of Manchester United), and inventor Sir James Dyson.

However, 129 billionaires from mainland China fell off the list due to weak consumer spending and a collapsing real estate market.

Additionally, 32 billionaires died, including Egyptian tycoon Mohamed Al-Fayed, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, former Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, and singer Jimmy Buffett.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Department of Justice Secures Million-Dollar Settlement Over Brokerage Oversight Failures
President Donald Trump Casts Doubt on White House Press Secretary's Future
U.S. Treasury Extends Sanctions Waiver for Russian Energy Firm Lukoil
Delaware Election Office Relocates Following Receipt of Suspicious Mail
President Donald Trump Launches Campaign Rally in Georgia Battleground
Trump Receives $330 Million in Corporate Donations for White House Ballroom Project
Nine People Killed in Mass Shooting at Pennsylvania Residence
Four Killed in Mass Shooting at Elementary School in Bend, Oregon
United States Approves Billion-Dollar Sale of Advanced Apache Helicopters to Israel
White House Orders SpaceX to Limit Starlink Access for Ukrainian Military Operations
Brazilian Court Threatens Meta With Fines Over Alleged Algorithmic Bias
Eight State Attorneys General Sue OpenAI Over Alleged Deception Regarding AI Safety
Bipartisan Opposition Grows Against Trump Proposal to Import Russian Diesel
Apple and Nvidia Commit Millions to White House Ballroom Project Amid Surge in Midterm Spending
Senate Democrats Demand Accountability Over Reallocation of Funds for Minority-Serving Institutions
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia Dismissed After Five-Day Tenure
President Trump Campaigns in Georgia to Support Republican Senate and Gubernatorial Candidates
Fifth Circuit Court Reviews Trump Administration Policy on Indefinite Detention of Undocumented Immigrants
FBI and Postal Authorities Investigate Suspicious Packages Sent to Election Officials
Trump Administration and Elon Musk Discuss Restricting Starlink Access to Ukraine
Fourth Circuit Court Confirms President Trump’s Authority to Fire Agency Leaders at Will
Israeli Tech Firm Delivers Zero-Click Mercenary Spyware via Digital Ad Networks
Houthi Militants Strike Aden Presidential Palace in Expanding Regional Assault
Antarctic Thwaites Glacier Melt Could Double Global Sea Level Rise Estimates
Vatican Confirms Pope Leo XIV Underwent Surgery for Cancerous Lung Tumor
Twelve Commercial Ships Struck Near Strait of Hormuz as Maritime Threats Intensify
Donald Trump Rules Out Nuclear Option in Potential United States Strikes on Iranian Facilities
Ukraine Resumes Strikes on Russian Oil Refineries as Tensions Rise Over Starlink Defense Systems
Pentagon Deploys Additional Aircraft Carrier Group to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
White House Drafts New Reciprocal Tariffs on Advanced Manufacturing Imports
U.S. Wholesale Inflation Hits Four-Year High as Energy Prices Surge
Trump Administration Reaches Diesel Supply Agreement With Russia Ahead of US Midterm Elections
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Revoking White House Press Credentials
Missile Attacks Sink Cargo Ships and Hit Saudi Energy Facility in Persian Gulf
US and South Korea Announce $200 Billion Energy Investment Plan, Including Alaska Gas Pipeline
Trump Pressures Zelenskyy to Halt Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Energy Facilities
Russian Strikes Cut Power in Kyiv as US and Europe Diverge Over Ukraine Ceasefire
Trump Claims Russia-Ukraine Energy Ceasefire as Kyiv and European Allies Report Violations
Trump Administration Cuts Refugee Appeal Deadline From 30 Days to 10 as Legal Challenge Begins
IMF Warns AI Sector Borrowing Could Pose Serious Risks to Global Markets
Trump Announces Pause in US Strikes on Iran Until After November Midterm Elections
Trump Defends Russian Diesel Deal as Congress Moves to Challenge Sanctions Relief
Pentagon Raises US Casualty Figures as Iran War Aircraft Damage Tops $3 Billion
Pentagon Revises US Military Casualty Figures Amid Conflict With Iran
Pentagon Orders Military to Complete Preparations for Possible Renewed Strikes on Iran
Houthi Attack on Riyadh Airport Kills 12, Injures More Than 300
US Completes Military Withdrawal From Iraq After 23 Years
Trump Announces Russian Oil Purchase Agreement as Ukraine Disputes Energy Ceasefire Claims
Houthi Missile and Drone Attacks on Saudi Airports and Oil Facilities Kill at Least 13
Trump Announces Energy Ceasefire With Russia as Ukraine Rejects Diesel Import Agreement
×