Wealthy Enough to Rival a Nation! New World's Richest Person Has a Net Worth of 5.8 Trillion Yuan, Equivalent to 12 Chinese Richest Individuals

When many people think money is hard to earn, the wealth of billionaires has skyrocketed.

The 2026 Forbes Global Billionaires List has been released. After taking a quick look at the list, I can only say that the wealth of billionaires is just a number because it’s so vast, while the wealth of ordinary people is cash, which can be counted on fingers.

This year’s list features only one person who stands out—the world’s richest person, Elon Musk. Why? Because his wealth is astonishing, reaching $839 billion, approximately 5.8 trillion RMB. Last year, it was only $342 billion, and in just one year, it increased by nearly $500 billion.

What does $839 billion mean? Only 21 countries worldwide had a GDP exceeding this number in 2024. In other words, if Musk’s wealth were GDP, he would rank 22nd in the world, surpassing most countries and truly being a nation of wealth.

Compared to other billionaires, he is far ahead. The second richest are the two founders of Google, with a combined net worth of $257 billion, more than three times Musk’s. China’s richest is Zhang Yiming, with a net worth of $69.3 billion, and Musk is 12 times richer than him.

It’s hard to believe that Musk’s net worth increased by $500 billion in just one year. How did he do it? Last year, Tesla’s revenue and sales declined, and the global new energy vehicle sales champion was taken by BYD. Logically, Musk’s net worth should have decreased.

Net worth is related to market value and valuation, not actual cash on hand. Tesla’s performance last year was not great, but its market value soared, surpassing $1.5 trillion. Why? Because Tesla caught the wind of energy storage. In 2025, Tesla’s energy storage installations grew by 49% year-over-year, especially in the fourth quarter, with both installation volume and gross profit from energy business hitting record highs.

This image may be AI-generated.

In simple terms, the capital market is optimistic about Tesla’s future development, which pushed up its market value and, consequently, Musk’s net worth.

Of course, it’s not just Tesla. Musk’s SpaceX is valued at $800 billion. There’s also the AI startup xAI, valued at $250 billion, capturing the AI trend again. Musk is standing at the forefront of this trend, and at the highest position.

China’s richest is Zhang Yiming of ByteDance, with a net worth of $69.3 billion, an increase of $3.8 billion from last year. ByteDance’s latest valuation reached $550 billion. The second is Zhong Shanshan of Nongfu Spring, with a net worth of $68.1 billion, up $10.4 billion from last year. Nongfu Spring, previously mired in controversy, has rebounded strongly, with performance and market value soaring. Next is Ma Huateng with $53.8 billion, and Li Ka-shing with $47 billion.

In recent years, the gap in net worth between Chinese and American billionaires has become visibly wider. As early as 2021, China’s richest, Zhong Shanshan, was among the top ten global billionaires, ranking 7th. But now, China’s richest, Zhang Yiming, is ranked 26th.

This year, 8 of the top 10 billionaires are from the US, and 15 of the top 20 are American, most of whom are from the tech industry. So, technology is the driving force behind productivity and wealth creation.

Forbes states that the main reason for the surge in global billionaire wealth over the past year is the boom in AI, which has driven stock market prosperity. The significant increase in the net worth of these American billionaires is also closely related to AI.

Some may say this is just a matter for the wealthy and has little to do with ordinary people. In fact, it’s very relevant. This wave of AI could indeed make the rich richer and wealth more concentrated, while ordinary people might face some difficulties.

Just last month, a US tech company reported increased earnings but announced a 40% layoff because many employees were replaced by AI. That is, with the advent of the AI era, billionaires can earn larger profits at lower costs, while ordinary workers face salary cuts or even unemployment, leading to a decline in personal income.

What the future holds is unknown, but for ordinary people, the best thing they can do now is to catch up quickly and become proficient in using AI.

Author’s note: These are personal opinions and for reference only.