Focus on the BIG picture.
Tuesday, Sep 01, 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
UCLA Appoints New Athletics Leadership After Department Restructuring
Major League Baseball Enters Final Month With Tight Division and Wildcard Races
White House Advances Plans for United States Space Force Academy
US Retail Spending Holds Firm During Back-to-School Season
EPA Defends Vehicle Emissions Standards Amid Congressional and Scientific Scrutiny
Federal Retirement Fund Targets $1.4 Trillion Investment Portfolio
NTSB Investigates Commercial Airline Runway Near-Miss
FBI Arrests Former White House Staffer in Insider-Trading Investigation
JD Vance Campaigns in Michigan for Republican Senate Candidate Mike Rogers
Justice Department Expands AI and Data Analytics in Healthcare Fraud Enforcement
House Panel Examines Cybersecurity Risks to US Broadband Networks
US Treasury Creates Quantum Readiness Task Force for Financial Sector
US Launches Nationwide Crackdown on Commercial Driver License Fraud
US House Advances Kids Online Safety Legislation
Trump Administration Reaches Drug-Pricing Agreements With Nine Pharmaceutical Companies
Tropical Storm Edouard Forms Near US Gulf Coast
Grand Canyon Flash Floods Kill Two as Search Continues for Missing Hikers
US Homeland Security Imposes $84 Billion in Fines Over Unmet Removal Orders
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Resigns After Disputes With Pentagon Leadership
US Tightens Security at Diplomatic Missions After Escalation With Iran
US Details Venezuela Oil Agreement Covering 65 Billion Barrels of Proven Reserves
Supreme Court Allows $400 Million White House East Wing Project to Proceed
Federal Reserve Holds Benchmark Interest Rate in Mid-3% Range
US Congress Returns Facing Government Funding Deadline and Shutdown Risk
US and Iran Exchange Direct Strikes Near Strait of Hormuz as Oil Rises Above $90
Orexo Reaches Agreement in Principle to Resolve US Justice Department Investigation
White House Creates Commission to Develop United States Space Academy
Trump Orders Federal Government to Rename Lake Ontario as Lake America
Justice Department Expands AI-Driven Medicare and Telemedicine Fraud Enforcement
House Panel Advances Broadband and AI Security Legislation
US Agencies Launch Nationwide Crackdown on Commercial Driving Fraud and Smuggling Networks
US Treasury Launches Quantum Readiness Task Force for Financial Sector
Congress Advances Kids Online Safety Act With New Platform Safeguards
Trump Administration Secures Drug-Price Concessions From Nine Pharmaceutical Companies
US Homeland Security Issues $84 Billion in Fines Over Undocumented Immigrants’ Removal Orders
Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates at 3.5%-3.75%
Trump Administration Reaches Oil Agreement With Venezuela’s Transitional Government
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Continue $400 Million White House Construction Project
Congress Returns Facing Government Shutdown Deadline and Spending Standoff
US and Iranian Forces Exchange Direct Strikes Near Strait of Hormuz
Sweden and France Sign €4.3 Billion Deal for Four Advanced Frigates
Putin, Xi and Modi Deepen Cooperation at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit
US and Russian Finance Ministers Hold First Direct Meeting Since 2022 Ukraine Invasion
Russian Ballistic Missile Strikes on Kyiv Kill at Least Seven
Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods Kill More Than 1,000 as Thousands Remain Missing
DR Congo Ebola Outbreak Surpasses 6,000 Cases as Death Toll Nears 3,000
US and Iran Exchange Direct Strikes as Oil Prices Climb Above $92
Major League Baseball Enters Final Month With Tight Postseason Races
US Leaders Pay Tribute to Dolly Parton After Singer’s Death
US Retail Spending Holds Up During Back-to-School Season
×