The global hierarchy of richest men on earth has seen the technological sector comfortably sit at the apex of the most lucrative sectors; this could be why most of the names on this list might be familiar. However, the stiff competition between them led to noticeable changes in their positions on this list over the years. At the time of writing this, these are the top 8 billionaires in tech in 2021.
1) Jeff Bezos
Net Worth: $177Billion
Source of wealth: Amazon
Many are already aware of the dominance of Jeff Bezos since he became the richest man in the world. In February, Jeff Bezos announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of Amazon in the third quarter of 2021. The focus is now on his space project, Blue Origin, the Washington Post, and charitable initiatives. Jeff gave out $791million to 16-climate change non-profits through his $10 billion Bezos Earth Fund. (Source: Forbes).
2) Bill Gates
Net Worth: $124Billion
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Bill Gates may have fallen two places down the list of the richest people in the world, but in the tech industry, the story is a little different. Bill grew his wealth by $26billion and beat his $100billion mark this year; this he achieved through a 66% increase in company stocks, as well as a rise in Deere & Co shares. Bill Gates also invested some money to support climate change; he told Forbes he gave $2 billion to organizations running operations on zero emissions. (Source: Forbes).
3) Mark Zuckerberg
Net Worth: $97Billion
Source of Wealth: Facebook
The owner of Facebook is third on the list, and it’s no surprise as Facebook maintains an extensive reach and is preferred for advertisements through Facebook Ads. The Facebook founder announced a $500 million pledge in December 2020 under the banner of racial equity. (Source: Forbes).
4) Larry Ellison
Net Worth: $93Billion
Source of wealth: Software
Larry Ellison made his fortune off creating and running software technologies. He founded Oracle, a software company, in 1977. Ellison reportedly paid $300million to buy the Hawaiian Island of Lanai after he told his employees that he was moving there (Source: Forbes). He then converted the island to a laboratory for health and wellness. Ellison also played a vital role that ensured an agreement of acquisition between Oracle and TikTok.
5) Larry Page
Net worth: $91.5Billion???
Source of wealth: Google
In December of 2019, Larry Page stepped down as CEO of Alphabet. Alphabet happens to be the parent company of Google, though he remains a board member and major shareholder of the company. Larry has been a beneficiary of the wealth created by Google. Bloomberg billionaire’s index reports that Larry has a total net worth (tech + others) of $121billlion.
6) Sergey Brin
Net worth: $89Billion
Source of wealth: Google
Sergey Mikhaylovich Brin, is a computer scientist, internet entrepreneur, and co-founder of Google with Larry Page. Sergey Brin headed Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc. until December 3, 2019, when he stepped down as CEO. He is the richest tech immigrant in America and spoke against some of Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Sergey is currently worth $117Billion.(Source: Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
7) Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $68.7Billion
Source of wealth: Microsoft
Steve Ballmer served as a CEO for Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, which was enough time to amass a fortune to become the richest sports team owner in America (Source: Forbes). He owns the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team. Ballmer purchased “The Forum” in Inglewood for $400million in 2020 (Source: Forbes). This year his team is expected to launch a new arena, estimated at $1Billion. He also owns a philanthropic organization called the Ballmer Group, which has given $54million as Covid Relief.
8) Ma Huateng
Net Worth: $65.8Billion
Source of wealth: Internet Media
Ma is currently China’s richest tech magnate (Source: Forbes). As the Chairman of Tencent, the company’s shares fell rapidly due to regulations on its digital payment component. However, Ma still benefits from Tencent (through its gaming sector), placing him at 8th on the list of top billionaires in Tech in 2021.
This list is a compilation of the top billionaires in the global tech sector. So the net worth stated per person is only a reflection of money gotten from tech.
