Every single rich person in the world shares two common traits when building wealth.
They have benefitted from the passing of time and the influence of compounding capital gains, and they have built companies or invested in businesses that have gone on to be worth trillions of dollars.
These individuals are innovators, visionaries, leaders, and founders.
Every wealthy person you see has a unique story behind their success. They managed to amass huge amounts of wealth through various methods.
So, who are the top 5 richest persons in 2022?
Table of Contents
Bill Gates
Bill Gates went to work together with Paul Allen while attending Harvard University in 1975. The two friends were developing new software for the original microcomputers.
After the success of this project, Bill dropped out of Harvard during his junior year and went on to create Microsoft with Allen.
Today, Microsoft is considered the biggest software company in the world. Almost every business in the world uses its software for its processes.
For instance, a reputable gate valve supplier probably uses a computer with Windows software for their company.
The company also sells video game systems and associated peripherical devices, offers email services via its Exchange server, publishes books via Microsoft Press, and manufactures its line of personal computers.
Bill Gates was the original chief software architect of Microsoft. However, in 2008, he changed his role as board chair.
On March 13, 2020, he stepped down from the board. As of today, Bill Gates is worth $118 billion.
Gautam Adani
Gautam Adani is the founder of Adani Group. In March 2022, he surpassed Mukesh Ambani as the wealthiest person in Asia. As of today, he is worth $123 billion.
Adani owns significant stakes in 6 well-established companies in India through his ownership of the Adani Group. This includes a 75% stake in Adani Transmissions, Adani Power, and Adani Enterprises.
Aside from that, he also owns a 37% stake in Adani Total Gas, 61% in Adani Green Energy, and 65% in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone.
Today, the combined market cap of Adani Group companies is $218 billion.
Just like Bill Gates, Gautam dropped out of college. He worked previously in the diamond trade. Today, Adani has the most significant port operator, coal trader, and coal producer in India.
Many successful medical device plastic injection molding companies in India source their power from the Adani group.
Bernard Arnault
Bernard Arnault is a French national who is also the CEO and chair of LVMH. For those who don’t know, it’s the world’s most prominent luxury goods company.
LVMH owns brands such as Sephora, Marc Jacobs, Hennessey, and Louis Vuitton.
Most of Bernard’s money comes from his huge stake in Christian Dior SE. This is a holding company that manages 41.3% of LVMH.
Bernard was trained to become an engineer. However, while working for his father’s construction company, Bernard showed his skills in managing businesses.
In 1971, Bernard took charge of his father’s construction firm. In 1979, he transformed the company from a construction firm to a real estate company named Férinel Inc.
As of today, Bernard Arnault is worth $145 billion.
Jeff Bezos
After resigning from the hedge fund giant DE Shaw, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 in a garage in Seattle.
Initially, Jeff pitched his idea of an online bookstore to his former boss David E. Shaw. Unfortunately, he was not interested.
While Amazon started selling books initially, it has since transformed into a one-stop shop for all products you’ll find in the world. Today, it’s the biggest retailer in the world.
When you shop at Amazon, you’ll find everything. This includes clothing, computer parts, appliances, high-quality Teflon o ring, and more.
Aside from that, many people started selling on Amazon because of how easy it is compared to starting a physical business.
Today, you’ll find glass soda bottle suppliers, medical device suppliers, and more on Amazon.
In 2019, Jeff owned around 16% of Amazon. However, he transferred 4% to his ex-wife as part of their divorce proceedings.
As of today, Jeff Bezos is worth $165 billion.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world as of 2022. He amassed much of his money after founding Tesla.
However, he has been long occupied with a couple of other famous companies. This includes SpaceX, PayPal, and much more.
Aside from his 25% take in Tesla, Elon owns several other revolutionary businesses. This includes The Boring Company, Neuralink, and SpaceX.
Due to the surge in Tesla shares in 2021, Elon became the top 1 richest person in the world. His wealth is still growing today.
As of 2022, Elon Musk has a net worth of $254 billion.
Conclusion
These are the top five wealthiest people in the world as of 2022. As you can see, they’ve amassed most of their wealth through successful businesses and investments.
These billionaires are people with connections, drive, and creativity. They used their good ideas to establish some of the biggest companies in the world.