The world’s 500 wealthiest individuals reached a combined net worth of nearly USD10tr in 2024, helped by a surge in US technology stocks. Elon Musk topped the gains, adding USD213bn to reach USD442.1bn, leaving a record gap of USD237bn over Jeff Bezos. Tech leaders Mark Zuckerberg and Jensen Huang also benefited, as technology accounted for 43% of the USD1.5tr increase among the top 500. The S&P 500 rose 24%, driven by the “Magnificent Seven,” including Tesla, Meta Platforms and Nvidia. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory added USD505bn to billionaire fortunes in five weeks, while cryptocurrencies soared past USD100,000 for Bitcoin, boosting Changpeng Zhao’s net worth 60% to USD55bn.