Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Elon MuskElon MuskBorn 28 Jun 1971Estimated US$839bn. SpaceX provides the clearest founder-to-operating-chief connection: Musk established the rocket company in 2002 and remained its CEO. His fortune also included other businesses, notably Tesla, so this figure should not be read as the value of his SpaceX holding alone.0i
  2. 2Mark ZuckerbergMark ZuckerbergBorn 14 May 1984Estimated US$222bn. Meta retained the founder who launched Facebook in 2004 as chairman and CEO. The business had expanded into a family of social platforms and major AI investment, while ownership and operating authority remained unusually closely connected.0i
  3. 3Jensen HuangJensen HuangBorn 17 Feb 1963Estimated US$154bn. Nvidia combines a large listed-company fortune with continuous founder leadership. Huang had been president and CEO since co-founding the chip designer in 1993, overseeing its expansion from graphics processors into AI computing.0i
  4. 4Michael DellMichael DellBorn 23 Feb 1965Estimated US$141bn. Dell returned to the CEO role in 2007 after handing it over in 2004. His inclusion therefore means an active founder was running Dell Technologies at the snapshot date, rather than claiming an uninterrupted tenure from the company’s 1984 beginnings.0i
  5. 5Pony MaPony MaBorn 29 Oct 1971Estimated US$53.8bn. Ma Huateng, widely known as Pony Ma, Tencent’s co-founder remained chairman and CEO. The operating remit spans gaming, social communication and financial technology, offering a broader platform-business comparison with the more specialised founders here.0i
  6. 6Robin ZengRobin ZengEstimated US$53.2bn. Zeng Yuqun, widely called Robin Zeng, combined CATL’s chairmanship with its general-manager role. He belongs here through that executive position at the battery manufacturer he co-founded, rather than through the chairman title by itself.0i
  7. 7Masayoshi SonMasayoshi SonBorn 11 Aug 1957Estimated US$51.5bn. Son founded the business that became SoftBank Group in 1981 and remained its chairman and CEO. This refers to the investment holding company; the separately listed telecoms company, SoftBank Corp., has its own chief executive.0i
  8. 8Ken GriffinKen GriffinEstimated US$49.8bn. Citadel’s founder remained its CEO and an investment leader. The distinction matters because Griffin also founded Citadel Securities, a separate market-making business where his role was non-executive chairman rather than chief executive.0i
  9. 9Andrea PignataroAndrea PignataroBorn 10 Jun 1970Estimated US$42.6bn. Pignataro was founder and CEO of ION, the financial-software and data group. His place highlights a less consumer-visible route to exceptional wealth: controlling software used by banks, investment managers and corporations while retaining executive leadership.0
  10. 10Stephen A. SchwarzmanStephen A. SchwarzmanBorn 14 Feb 1947Estimated US$38.3bn. Blackstone’s co-founder remained chairman and CEO of the alternative-investment manager. The personal wealth estimate is distinct from the much larger pool of client assets the firm manages, a useful distinction when comparing finance founders with industrial owners.0i