If joining is not for everyone, staying there for decades is even more unusual.
Since the beginning of the 2000s, the ranking has seen fortunes evaporate with the internet bubble and tycoons lose space after the 2008 crisis. At the same time, new names have emerged with the advancement of the digital world, global luxury and, more recently, artificial intelligence.
While some companies have disappeared from the center of the economy, others have grown to the point of transforming their founders into almost permanent presences among the richest on the planet.
This is the case of names like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Bernard Arnault, who built businesses capable of surviving economic cycles and profound transformations in the global market. All of this multiplying assets and without leaving Forbes’ radar in the last 25 years.
Who appeared most often on the Forbes billionaires list: see the top 10
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett top the list with a constant presence since the early 2000s.
The list also helps to show how the profile of great fortunes has changed this century. In the early years, the ranking was dominated by businesspeople linked to software, investments, retail and telecommunications. Over time, , paving the way for names like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
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At the same time, the ranking preserved businesspeople linked to more traditional sectors, such as Bernard Arnault, from , and Amancio Ortega, founder of Zara.
| Billionaire | Years in the Top 10 | Best position |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Gates | 25 | 1º |
| Warren Buffett | 25 | 1º |
| Larry Ellison | 18 | 2º |
| Carlos Slim | 16 | 1º |
| Bernard Arnault | 16 | 1º |
| Jeff Bezos | 10 | 1º |
| Mark Zuckerberg | 10 | 3º |
| Amancio Ortega | 10 | 2º |
| Paul Allen | 8 | 3º |
| Elon Musk | 6 | 1º |
Who most times topped the Forbes global ranking
Bill Gates is the leader among the greatest fortunes of the century, with 13 appearances in first place among the world’s billionaires. It dominated much of the 2000s driven by and by the consolidation of the software market.
Carlos Slim assumed the top during the advance of telecommunications in Latin America, while Jeff Bezos led at the height of the expansion of Amazon and e-commerce.
More recently, the ranking began to reflect the weight of technology and artificial intelligence giants. Elon Musk reached the top amid the appreciation of Tesla and SpaceX, while Bernard Arnault symbolized the global growth of the luxury market even in periods of economic slowdown.
| Billionaire | Times in 1st place | Current assets* |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Gates | 13 | US$113 billion |
| Jeff Bezos | 4 | US$206 billion |
| Carlos Slim | 4 | US$102 billion |
| Elon Musk | 3 | US$342 billion |
| Bernard Arnault | 2 | US$178 billion |
| Warren Buffett | 1 | US$160 billion |
*Approximate values based on the most recent Forbes ranking