Mark Zuckerberg, the genius behind Facebook and current CEO of Meta, has achieved a new record in his business career. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Zuckerberg has solidified himself as the second richest person on the planet, surpassing even Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos. This rise in the financial ranking raises an important question: how has Zuckerberg managed to accumulate such a fortune?
Zuckerberg's net worth reached an impressive $206.2 billion on October 3, 2024. This increase in his wealth has been mainly driven by a 64% increase in the value of Meta's shares during the year.
Much of this success is due to Meta's foray into the world of generative Artificial Intelligence, with the launch of its virtual assistant, Meta AI, which operates on influential platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. According to Zuckerberg, Meta AI is quickly becoming one of the most widely used virtual assistants, reaching nearly 500 million monthly active users.
Zuckerberg's financial empire
Meta has positioned itself as one of the most important technology companies worldwide, and Zuckerberg's 13% stake in the company has been key to the growth of his fortune. Throughout 2024, Zuckerberg has added $78 billion to his wealth, making him the billionaire with the largest increase on the list of the 500 richest people in the world.
This financial growth is not only due to Meta’s advancements in Artificial Intelligence, but also to the trust that investors have placed in the company, reflected in its solid quarterly results. In the second quarter of the year, Meta reported a 22% growth in sales, reaching $39.07 billion. Additionally, Meta’s advertising division has managed to overcome the challenges posed by Apple’s privacy updates in iOS, thanks to the major advertising campaigns of retailers like Temu and Shein.