Tech leaders continue to dominate the global wealth rankings, holding nine of the top 10 positions on the Forbes billionaires list released on November 1. However, a downturn across technology stocks over the past month erased a combined $273 billion from the fortunes of the world’s eight wealthiest individuals. A wave of disappointing corporate earnings and escalating market concerns over massive artificial intelligence (AI) expenditures pushed the tech-heavy Nasdaq down nearly 5%, triggering widespread declines among the industry’s most prominent founders and executives. Notably, 9 out of 10 in list are tech executives, with Warren Buffett the only exception.
Tech slump wipes out billions from planet’s wealthiest
Despite seeing their personal net worths shrink sharply, none of the top-ranking billionaires shifted position on the leaderboard.Elon Musk (No. 1): The planet’s richest individual absorbed the steepest hit, shedding an estimated $68 billion. Musk’s net worth stood at $869 billion. The decline came as an 11% drop in SpaceX shares, which outpaced a 13% gain in Tesla stock. Even after the contraction, Musk remains more than twice as rich as his closest competitor.Jeff Bezos (No. 2): Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has seen his net worth drop by an estimated $8 billion to $361 billion after Amazon shares fell 4%.Larry Page (No. 3) and Sergey Brin (No. 5): Alphabet’s cofounders saw steep losses after shares of Google’s parent company fell by more than 18%. Page dropped roughly $53 billion to sit at $233 billion, while Brin’s wealth shrank by about $49 billion to $214 billion.Michael Dell (No. 4) and Mark Zuckerberg (No. 6): The bleeding continued for Dell Technologies and Meta. With Dell shares tumbling 21% and Meta sliding 15%, both Michael Dell and Mark Zuckerberg lost an estimated $40 billion each. Their net worths now sit at $229 billion and $211 billion, respectively.
Only two gainers in the Top 10
Bucking the tech market rout, only two billionaires in the global top 10 expanded their wealth over the past month, maintaining their ranks at the bottom of the elite bracket:Steve Ballmer (No. 9): Microsoft’s former CEO saw his fortune tick up by $1 billion to an estimated $162 billion, supported by a 2% rise in Microsoft stock.Warren Buffett (No. 10): The legendary Berkshire Hathaway investor was the month’s biggest gainer among the top 10. A 9% jump in Berkshire shares boosted Buffett’s net worth by an estimated $13 billion to $154 billion.
World’s top 10 richest people
(Rankings and fortunes recorded as of November 1, 2026, at 12 a.m. ET)
- Elon Musk — $869 billion
- Jeff Bezos — $361 billion
- Larry Page — $233 billion
- Michael Dell — $229 billion
- Sergey Brin — $214 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg — $211 billion
- Jensen Huang – $178 billion
- Larry Ellison – $172 billion
- Steve Ballmer — $162 billion
- Warren Buffett — $154 billion
Notably, every member of the current top 10 is an American man. Six individuals hold net worths exceeding $200 billion, with the entry threshold for the elite group standing at $154 billion. Bill Gates dropped out of the top 10 in October 2024 following newly obtained financial disclosures that reduced his estimated net worth.Musk has retained the title of the world’s richest person since late May 2024, when he bypassed France’s Bernard Arnault. In June, Musk briefly made financial history by becoming the world’s first trillionaire.Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos secured second place for the second straight month, a spot he previously occupied in May 2025. In September, Bezos became just the fourth person ever to cross the $300 billion threshold, joining Musk, Larry Page and Larry Ellison.Outside the top 10, Walmart heiress Alice Walton remains the wealthiest woman on Earth. Holding a fortune of approximately $133 billion derived from her stake in Walmart, she advanced to the 14th-richest position globally, up from No. 15 last month.
