Focus on the BIG picture.
Monday, Jul 13, 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
A Million Dollars Above the Asking Price: Who Is Driving Silicon Valley's Housing Market Wild?
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
Passenger Is Pulled Partly Outside Ryanair Jet After Window Fails Mid-Flight
Evaxion Reports Artificial Intelligence-Designed Cytomegalovirus Vaccine Breakthrough
Apollo Global Management Makes 7.7 Billion Dollar Takeover Bid for EasyJet
Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Artificial Intelligence Trade Secret Theft
Typhoon Bavi Forces Two Million Evacuations Across Eastern China
United States Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at Age 71
United States Authorizes Domestic Production of Patriot Missiles in Ukraine
United States and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes After Tehran Declares Strait of Hormuz Closed
North Korea Condemns NATO Summit and Accuses Alliance of Expanding Confrontation Into Asia-Pacific
SpaceX Joins Nasdaq-100 Following Record Initial Public Offering
Apple Sues OpenAI in Trade Secret Dispute Over Artificial Intelligence Technology
European Union Drafts Financial Backstop to Shield Supply Chains From Potential Chinese Retaliation
Russia and Ukraine Intensify Long-Range Strikes as Fighting Expands Beyond the Front Line
NATO Summit in Ankara Approves Major Defense Spending and Long-Term Military Support for Ukraine
Iran Launches Ballistic Missile and Drone Attacks on United States Bases Across the Middle East
Cuba Suffers Third Nationwide Power Grid Collapse in Six Months
United States Congress Clears Advanced Jet Engine Sale for Turkey's Indigenous Fighter Program
Federal Reserve Minutes Reveal Sharp Divisions Over Inflation Outlook
Typhoon Bavi Strikes Eastern China After Mass Evacuations
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises Above Four Thousand as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
United States and Iran Exchange Escalating Threats as Ceasefire Efforts Falter
Russian Missile and Drone Barrage Causes Heavy Casualties and Widespread Damage Across Ukraine
Apple Sues OpenAI and Chooses Google Gemini for Siri Upgrade
SK Hynix Completes Record United States Initial Public Offering to Expand Artificial Intelligence Memory Production
China Halts Helium Exports as Supply Shortages Hit Semiconductor Industry
United States Federal Reserve Signals Interest Rates Will Remain Unchanged
Ukrainian Drone Strikes Cut Russian Fuel Production as Kremlin Threatens Wider Military Buffer Zone
China Warns Russia Against Using Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
United States Declares Iran Ceasefire Over After Gulf Military Escalation
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Following Massive Investor Demand: SK Hynix Raises 26.5 Billion Dollars on Nasdaq
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
After Four Years, and Under a Heavy Veil of Secrecy: King Charles Meets His Grandchildren, Harry and Meghan's Children
SK Hynix Completes Record Twenty-Six Point Five Billion Dollar Nasdaq Listing
Trump Administration Removes Remaining Democratic Leaders From Election Assistance Commission
Israel Says Troops Will Remain in Southern Lebanon Until Hezbollah Is Disarmed
United States Authorizes Ukraine to Produce Patriot Air Defense Missiles Domestically
Typhoon Bavi Forces Mass Evacuations and Shuts Down Much of Taiwan
China Bans Helium Exports, Raising New Risks for Global Semiconductor Supply Chains
United States and Iran Exchange Fresh Military Strikes as Tehran Buries Former Supreme Leader
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
Hamas Begins Dissolving Gaza Governing Authority Under Ceasefire Framework
Super Typhoon Bavi Threatens Taiwan After Deadly Flooding Across Southern China
Deadly Fire, Health Emergencies and Political Upheaval Shape a Volatile Global News Cycle
Flight Instructor Jumped to His Death — Student Landed the Plane: "You Know What You Need to Do"
Global Stock Markets Rebound as Semiconductor Shares Lead Recovery
×