Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Rises to 4th Richest Person in the World

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has achieved a significant financial milestone, joining the exclusive group of individuals with a net worth surpassing $200 billion. According to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, Zuckerberg's fortune now totals $201 billion, positioning him as the fourth-richest person globally.

Zuckerberg now ranks just behind Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($211 billion), LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault ($207 billion), and Tesla's Elon Musk, who remains the world’s wealthiest person with an astounding $272 billion.

Zuckerberg’s wealth primarily comes from his 13% stake in Meta, equivalent to roughly 345.5 million shares. His fortune has surged by $73.4 billion this year alone, thanks to a sharp rise in Meta’s stock, which has climbed nearly 60% since January 2024, hitting record highs above $560 per share.

This stock boost has been driven by strong investor confidence, with Meta trading at around 24 times its forward earnings—just below the Nasdaq 100’s average of 26. At the recent Meta Connect 2024 event, Zuckerberg outlined the company’s ambitious plans for AI, noting that Meta AI is on track to become one of the most widely used digital assistants, with nearly 500 million monthly active users, despite its absence in key markets like the European Union.

Zuckerberg's climb to the $200 billion mark places him among a growing group of tech leaders experiencing significant wealth gains in 2024. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang saw his net worth soar by $62.2 billion, while Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison added $58.6 billion.

Zuckerberg’s financial comeback is especially notable after the challenges he faced in 2022 when heavy investments in the metaverse led to a $100 billion drop in his net worth. However, Meta's strategic shift—fuelled by innovations like its Orion augmented reality glasses—has helped reposition the company as a major player in both the metaverse and AI sectors.