Tech Billionaires Gain Record $845B in First Nine Months of 2026; Non-Tech Fortunes Decline

Tech billionaires gained a combined $845 billion in the first nine months of 2026 through Sept. 30, a record haul for the period, while non-tech fortunes fell $62 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The roughly 100 tech fortunes among the world's 500 richest now total $4.6 trillion, a 36% share of index wealth versus about one-fifth of membership. Elon Musk, ranked first with a net worth of $977 billion, added $310 billion through September, nearly two-fifths of the index's total gain. Musk briefly became the world's first trillionaire after his AI company xAI merged with SpaceX and went public in June. Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell gained 81% to $254 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg added $23 billion as Meta Platforms shares rose 27% in September. Americans accounted for 94% of net gains, and all 10 of the world's richest have been American since Sept. 10, a first since Bloomberg began tracking in 2012. Aggregate wealth peaked at $13.4 trillion in mid-June and has since fallen 6% to $12.6 trillion as AI skepticism grew. Larry Ellison's net worth dropped $196 billion from its peak.