Richest billionaires in technology

The first billionaire is generally considered to be John D. Rockefeller in 1916, though some argue it was Henry Ford in 1925.

Fast-forward some 100 years. According to a September 2026 Forbes data, there are nearly 1,000 billionaires in the U.S., who make up 15 of the top 20 billionaires in the world. Many of those elite few made their money in technology, like Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, and Jeff Bezos. 

While the United States has the most billionaires of any country, Americans are somewhat split on their feelings about the billionaire class, especially when it comes to politics. A September 2025 poll from Washington-Ipsos found that 58% of Americans hold a negative opinion of billionaires spending money on political campaigns. And even outside of the political arena, more than 75% of Americans agree that the ultra-rich are profiting the most from a broken system, per the Harris Poll's November 2025 Americans & Billionaires Survey.

Despite these views, of course, the nation's billionaires don't show any signs of slowing down anytime soon—particularly those in technology. The technology sector has produced some of the most recognizable billionaires in the world, with fortunes built on everything from personal computing and search engines to social media and artificial intelligence. These innovators have transformed how people work, communicate, and consume information, amassing vast wealth along the way.

To take a look at some of the industry's leading figures, Stacker compiled the richest billionaires in technology using data from Forbes. Data is as of September 23, 2025.

#20. David Cheriton
- Net worth: $19.9 billion
- Source: Google
- Lives in: Palo Alto, California

#19. Henry Nicholas III
- Net worth: $21.5 billion
- Source: Semiconductors
- Lives in: Newport Coast, California

#18. Adam Foroughi
- Net worth: $23.6 billion
- Source: marketing software, mobile games
- Lives in: Truckee, California

#17. Rick Cohen & family
- Net worth: $24.8 billion
- Source: Warehouse automation
- Lives in: Keene, New Hampshire

#16. Robert Pera
- Net worth: $29.4 billion
- Source: Wireless networking
- Lives in: San Jose, California

#15. Melinda French Gates
- Net worth: $29.2 billion
- Source: Microsoft
- Lives in: Seattle, Washington

#14. Andreas von Bechtolsheim & family
- Net worth: $29.6 billion
- Source: Google
- Lives in: Palo Alto, California

#13. Eric Schmidt
- Net worth: $30.2 billion
- Source: Google
- Lives in: Atherton, California

#12. Henry Samueli
- Net worth: $31.2 billion
- Source: Semiconductors
- Lives in: Newport Beach, California

#11. MacKenzie Scott
- Net worth: $32.9 billion
- Source: Amazon
- Lives in: Seattle, Washington

#10. Bill Gates
- Net worth: $106.1 billion
- Source: Microsoft
- Lives in: Medina, Washington

#9. Michael Dell
- Net worth: $140.3 billion
- Source: Dell Technologies
- Lives in: Austin, Texas

#8. Steve Ballmer
- Net worth: $153.8 billion
- Source: Microsoft
- Lives in: Hunts Point, Washington

#7. Jensen Huang
- Net worth: $155.0 billion
- Source: Semiconductors
- Lives in: Los Altos, California

#6. Sergey Brin
- Net worth: $193.9 billion
- Source: Google
- Lives in: Los Altos, California

#5. Larry Page
- Net worth: $209.0 billion
- Source: Google
- Lives in: Palo Alto, California

#4. Jeff Bezos
- Net worth: $233.6 billion
- Source: Amazon
- Lives in: Miami, Florida

#3. Mark Zuckerberg
- Net worth: $258.7 billion
- Source: Facebook
- Lives in: Palo Alto, California

#2. Larry Ellison
- Net worth: $377.5 billion
- Source: Oracle
- Lives in: Woodside, California

#1. Elon Musk
- Net worth: $480.1 billion
- Source: Tesla, SpaceX
- Lives in: Austin, Texas

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