Abstract:
If it feels like 2026 is going to be a great year for the world’s tech billionaires, the data confirms it. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index shows that as of September 30, the combined wealth of about 100 technology tycoons among the world's 500 richest people increased by US$845 billion, setting a record for the first nine months.
The forces driving this growth mirror the main drivers of global markets: the artificial intelligence boom and the surge in technology stocks, especially in the United States. Tech billionaires now have a combined fortune of $4.6 trillion, accounting for 36% of all wealth in the index, although they only make up about one-fifth of those on the list.
This differentiation is very obvious. During the same period, billionaires who accumulated wealth outside the technology industry lost a combined US$62 billion, while American wealthy people contributed 94% of the increase in net wealth in the index. Since September 10, all of the world's ten richest people are from the United States, which is the first time this has happened since Bloomberg began tracking billionaires in 2012.
Musk
Wealth growth is also highly concentrated at the top. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has seen his wealth increase by US$310 billion as of the end of September this year, accounting for approximately 40% of the total increase in the index. Musk briefly became the world's first trillionaire after SpaceX merged with his artificial intelligence company xAI and went public in June.
Nine of the world’s ten richest people derive their wealth from U.S. technology companies. Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell's wealth increased 81% to $254 billion, thanks to the rapid expansion of the company's data center sales business. As Meta Platforms launched its new Muse personal AI assistant, its stock price rose 27% in September, its best monthly performance in nearly four years, and Mark Zuckerberg's wealth increased by $23 billion this year.
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