We’ve seen the headlines that reveal how rich the world’s top billionaires are — but it’s hard to comprehend just how rich they are. Consider this: Let’s say you had $1 billion in your bank account and had to spend $100,000 every day, for an entire year. After 365 days, you would still have $963,500,000 (nine hundred sixty-three million five hundred thousand).
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Over the last two decades, billionaires have ballooned their wealth to unparalleled levels. In 2005, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ranked as the world’s richest person, with a net worth of $46.5 billion, as reported by CNN.
Today, that title belongs to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whose net worth stands at $368 billion as of June 5, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Even when adjusted for inflation, Gates’ former net worth would be equivalent to roughly $76 billion in today’s dollars.
It is worth noting that other billionaires have also increased their wealth during the same time. For instance, tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos are worth $229 billion and $227 billion, ranking second and third globally.
For many Americans, this trend is not sitting well. The sky-high cost of living has catalyzed support for redistributive tax policies, especially among younger voters and the progressive base of the Democratic Party. While higher taxation may or may not happen in the years to come, here’s hypothetically how much you’d get if the world’s richest man gives a check to every American.
The United States Census Bureau estimates the current population to be around 341 million people, ranking only behind India and China. If Musk’s enormous $368 billion were equally divided in the U.S., each person would receive $1,079 (rounded to the nearest dollar). A couple would receive $2,158, while a family of four would get $4,316.
Despite the enormous wealth of billionaires, much of their fortune is tied up in stocks, real estate, and other holdings. Only a small percentage of their assets is held in cash. Based on data from Forbes, Musk has a 12% ownership stake in Tesla and to date, he remains the largest shareholder in the $1.15 trillion electric vehicle company. This is in addition to a 42% slice in SpaceX and a 54% interest in xAI, among many other businesses.
Interestingly, Bloomberg reported that Musk’s financial holdings appreciated by 77% after joining the campaign trail with President Donald Trump late last year, as reported by Bloomberg. Investors became bullish on Tesla and Musk became the first person to ever reach a net worth exceeding $400 billion. Since then, Tesla’s market value has fluctuated as a result of volatile market conditions, macroeconomic factors and the threat of a global trade war.
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