According to Forbes latest list, there are 2,095 billionaires in the world worth about $8 trillion, that is $700 billion less than last year, it shows fickle the market is, we see a lot of people exit the billionaire status every year but we also see a lot of new people reach it too. The coronavirus pandemic has struck the global economy hard, the top 500 billionaires lost $500 billion in just a few weeks. But some billionaires survived and made back their money, just shows how good they are at their job.
So, we are going to list the 10 richest individuals this year who despite the pandemic, held on to their fortune-
(Note: – The rankings and worth are according to Forbes latest list)
10) ROB WALTON- $52.4 Billion
The eldest son of Sam Walton. Founder of Walmart. He also served as the company’s chairman from 1992 to 2015. He is still part of Walmart’s board of directors and is the chairman of the executive committee of Conservation International.
9) ALICE WALTON-$52.6 BILLION
Sam Walton’s only daughter and also the richest woman in the world. She holds quite an interest in art and was the reason for the development of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
8) JIM WALTON-$52.8 BILLION
The richest Walton, he actually gave over a billion dollars to Walmart last year, but kept his position due to his shares in the Arvest Bank. He and his siblings together own almost half of Walmart’s stock.
7) AMANCIO ORTEGA-$64.9 BILLION
One of the two people on this list who aren’t from the United States and the second wealthiest retailer in the world, Amancio founded the Inditex Fashion group. You might be familiar with his chain of Zara clothing and accessories shops. In 2015, for a short time, he was actually the richest man in the world with a net worth of $80 billion.
6) LARRY ELLISON-$65.9 BILLION
The founder of the software company Oracle, He left his position as the CEO in 2014 but still serves the company’s CTO and executive chairman of the board of directors.
5) WARREN BUFFETT-$71.4 BILLION
Largest shareholder and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, he made his fortune through investing. Called the “Oracle” and for good reason, investing is a very risky job, becoming a billionaire through it just shows how good he is.
4) MARK ZUCKERBERG-$84.2 BILLION
Who doesn’t know this man? The founder of Facebook which now owns all the famous social media platforms- Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. In the Forbes list, he is actually ranked 7th but he is one of the few people who actually profited from the Lockdowns. Activity on social media platforms have risen to a new level making him a lot of money.
3) BERNARD ARNAULT & FAMILY- $103.2 BILLION
The second person on this list who is not from the United States, he is the chairman of the world’s largest luxury goods company-LVMH, Moët Hennessy. Bernard surpassed the first rank on this list in December 2019 and for a brief time in January 2020. The wealthiest person in Europe and the fashion industry, he is also an art collector.
2) BILL GATES-$108.4 BILLION
The co-founder of Microsoft, Gates actually left his post as the chief software architect in 2006 and worked part-time at Microsoft (still keeping his position as the chairman) so that he could concentrate on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations which was established in 2000. In 2014, he left his position as the chairman and now assumes a post as a tech advisor.
1) JEFF BEZOS- $152.9 BILLION
The most obvious person on the list, the founder and CEO of the tech giant Amazon, he is called the richest man in modern history. He is richer by everyone on the planet and by a $50 billion margin. The first person to reach the $100 billion mark. In 2019, he divorced his wife MacKenzie and had to give a quarter of his wealth to her, but he still remained the richest man on Earth by quite a margin and even made it back in little over 6 months.
Akshit Gupta
Grade XII, Manav Rachna International School, Gurgaon
Akshit is an enthusiastic young man who has keen interest in global affairs and politics. He believes it’s his duty to contribute to society as a human being and hopes his actions can benefit the world. He has taken part and even organized multiple debate competitions all over the nation.
