Jeff Bezos made the most money in 2020, adding about $79.4 billion as Amazon stock roughly doubled during the pandemic. Elon Musk (+$74.9 billion) and Mukesh Ambani (+$41.2 billion) followed. This page keeps the original 2020 ranking, then shows what has happened to those 10 fortunes since, using stock prices from 31 December 2020 and 23 October 2026.
2020 was tough for almost everyone, but not for a lucky few. These billionaires added sums larger than the GDP of small countries. The gain and net worth figures in the entries below are the 2020 figures from our original list (start of year to year-end, in US dollars). The “since” lines are new and use our own math.
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The 10 biggest winners of 2020, and their stock since
| Rank | Name | 2020 gain | Main stock | Stock move, 31 Dec 2020 to 23 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Bezos | +$79.4B | Amazon | $162.85 to $248.00 (up about 52%) |
| 2 | Elon Musk | +$74.9B | Tesla | $235.22 to $372.22 (up about 58%) |
| 3 | Mukesh Ambani | +$41.2B | Reliance | Reported net worth about $92B in June 2026 |
| 4 | Daniel Gilbert | +$38.3B | Rocket Companies | $20.22 to $11.73 (down about 42%) |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | +$38.1B | Meta (Facebook) | $273.16 to $642.62 (up about 135%) |
| 6 | MacKenzie Scott | +$26.6B | Amazon | Same Amazon move, but she gives wealth away |
| 7 | Jack Ma | +$26.3B | Alibaba | $232.73 to $99.64 (down about 57%) |
| 8 | Steve Ballmer | +$23.9B | Microsoft | $222.42 to $524.51 (up about 136%) |
| 9 | Larry Page | +$22.0B | Alphabet | $87.63 to $320.21 (up about 265%) |
| 10 | Sergey Brin | +$21.9B | Alphabet | $87.63 to $320.21 (up about 265%) |
Prices are split-adjusted closing prices for 31 December 2020 and 23 October 2026 (Reliance is not shown because of a bonus share issue in between).
10. Sergey Brin: +$21.9 billion ($53.5 billion to $75.4 billion in 2020)
With people spending more time online than ever, it is no surprise that Google’s founders are on this list. Sergey Brin, Google’s Russian-born co-founder, stepped down as president of Alphabet at the end of 2019 but remains a controlling shareholder.
Since 2020: Alphabet stock is up about 265%. If his stake were unchanged, that would put the 2020 year-end figure of $75.4 billion at roughly $275 billion today. That is our estimate before any share sales or gifts.
9. Larry Page: +$22 billion ($55.5 billion to $77.5 billion)
Just ahead of Brin is the other half of the founding team. The two met at Stanford, and they are nearly inseparable on this list, with Page ahead by $100 million. He also stepped down as Alphabet CEO in December 2019 and kept his board seat and his shares. His side projects included flying-car startups Kitty Hawk and Opener, and a stake in Planetary Resources.
Since 2020: Same Alphabet move, so roughly $283 billion by the same math, our estimate. This is the biggest multiple on the list. Want to know where the money goes? Check out Google’s New Offices in Amsterdam.
8. Steve Ballmer: +$23.9 billion ($51.7 billion to $75.6 billion)
Steve Ballmer was one of Microsoft’s first 30 employees and succeeded Bill Gates as CEO. He left in 2014 and runs the LA Clippers, which he bought for $2 billion that year. He is also big on philanthropy, and has put over $2 billion into a fund to lift Americans out of poverty.
Since 2020: Microsoft is up about 136% since the end of 2020, implying about $178 billion if his stake were unchanged. That is a ceiling in our estimate, since not everything he owns is Microsoft stock.
7. Jack Ma: +$26.3 billion ($38.8 billion to $65.1 billion)
Jack Ma co-founded Alibaba. In 2020 Ant Group, an Alibaba affiliate, was set to float in what would have been the largest IPO in history, aiming to raise about $34.5 billion at a $313 billion valuation. Chinese regulators suspended the listing days before it began, wiping about $3 billion off his net worth overnight.
Since 2020: The IPO never happened. In 2023, Ant restructured so that no one controlled it, and Ma’s voting rights fell from 50% to 6%. Alibaba’s ADRs are down about 57% since the end of 2020. In 2020 this was a top 10 gain; today it is the clearest example of how fast a fortune can reverse.
6. MacKenzie Scott: +$26.6 billion ($36.1 billion to $62.7 billion)
Her previous name was MacKenzie Bezos. After the 2019 divorce she kept 25% of the couple’s Amazon stock, about 4% of the company at the time. In July 2020 she announced a new name and that she had given $1.7 billion to over 100 non-profit groups. She is also a published novelist and founded the anti-bullying group Bystander Revolution.
Since 2020: She has kept giving. By the end of 2025 she had given away $26.3 billion in total, and she reportedly held about 1.3% of Amazon. That is why her fortune did not grow with Amazon’s stock.
5. Mark Zuckerberg: +$38.1 billion ($69.6 billion to $107.7 billion)
In August 2020 Zuckerberg joined the centi-billionaires. Lockdown use of Facebook pushed the stock up more than 50% that year, and he owned about 15% of it. He is the only person on the 2020 list who was under 40. In 2020 over 1,000 advertisers also boycotted Facebook over hate speech.
Since 2020: Meta stock is up about 135%, which would put his 2020 year-end figure at roughly $250 billion if he had kept everything. In practice share sales and gifts to his foundation with wife Priscilla Chan reduce that. See 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Mark Zuckerberg.
4. Daniel Gilbert: +$38.3 billion ($6.5 billion to $44.8 billion)
This is the least familiar name. Dan Gilbert co-founded Quicken Loans, then the largest US mortgage lender, which went public in August 2020 at a $36 billion valuation and renamed itself Rocket Companies. His net worth multiplied nearly seven times. He also owns the Cleveland Cavaliers and co-founded StockX.
Since 2020: A reminder that IPO pops do not always last. Rocket’s stock ($11.73) is about 42% below its 31 December 2020 close. In 2025 the company announced deals to buy mortgage servicer Mr. Cooper and real estate brokerage Redfin.
3. Mukesh Ambani: +$41.2 billion ($36.8 billion to $78 billion)
Ambani is chair of Reliance Industries, started by his father Dhirubhai in 1966 as a textile maker, now spanning petrochemicals, oil, gas, telecoms and retail. In 2020 he raised more than $20 billion by selling a third of Jio to investors including Facebook and Google.
Since 2020: He is reportedly the richest person in Asia, with a net worth of about $92 billion as of June 2026, which is a modest rise from $78 billion.
2. Elon Musk: +$74.9 billion ($19.9 billion to $94.8 billion)
Tesla stock surged and Musk owned about 21% of it. He passed $100 billion in late August 2020, just two months after Tesla overtook Toyota as the most valuable carmaker. Asked how he felt about it, he said what really matters is making great products people love.
Since 2020: This is the biggest story. Tesla is up about 58% since 2020, but SpaceX is where it changed. SpaceX acquired xAI in February 2026 and priced its IPO at $135 a share on 11 June 2026, a $1.77 trillion valuation and the largest IPO ever, raising $75 billion. Musk became the first reported trillionaire that month.
1. Jeff Bezos: +$79.4 billion ($114 billion to $193.4 billion)
In 2020 we relied on Amazon more than ever, and its stock roughly doubled. Even after giving MacKenzie a large share in the divorce, Bezos was the richest person in the world and held the largest fortune in history. He also owns The Washington Post and Blue Origin.
Since 2020: Amazon stock is up about 52% from the end of 2020, implying roughly $295 billion if he had kept every share. He has sold stock since, so treat that as our upper estimate. He was reportedly the fourth-richest person in the world as of May 2026. Check out 15 CRAZY Expensive Things Jeff Bezos OWNS.
Who is making the most money now?
The sequel to 2020 is the AI and space boom. These are our observations, based on reported milestones.
- Elon Musk: SpaceX’s June 2026 IPO at a $1.77 trillion valuation made him the first reported trillionaire.
- Jensen Huang: Nvidia became the first public company to pass a $5 trillion market value in October 2025, and its shares trade at about $211 on 23 October 2026. Huang’s net worth is about $184 billion on our holdings math (870.6 million Nvidia shares at $210.96).
- Larry Page: Alphabet’s roughly 265% rise since 2020 is the best multiple among the 2020 winners.
Keep reading
- How the AI gold rush is making people rich: the 2020s version of this list
- Most common ways to become a self-made billionaire: how fortunes like these start
- Will the stock market always go up?: the risk behind big stock gains
FAQ
Who made the most money in 2020?
Jeff Bezos, who added about $79.4 billion as Amazon stock roughly doubled during the pandemic. Elon Musk (+$74.9 billion) was second.
Who has gained the most since 2020?
Among the 2020 winners, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, since Alphabet stock has risen about 265%. Elon Musk then became the first reported trillionaire in June 2026 after the SpaceX IPO.
Who lost ground since 2020?
Jack Ma and Dan Gilbert. Alibaba’s ADRs are down about 57% and Rocket Companies’ stock is down about 42% since 31 December 2020.
Why did billionaires get richer in 2020?
Lockdowns pushed people online, which lifted tech stocks such as Amazon, Facebook and Alphabet. Tesla’s stock also surged.
How are these figures estimated?
The 2020 gains come from our original list. The ‘since 2020’ numbers apply the change in each company’s stock price to a stake assumed unchanged, so they are estimates.
Is MacKenzie Scott still a billionaire?
Yes, but she has given away a large part of her wealth: $26.3 billion in total by the end of 2025, according to public reporting.
How we estimate net worth
Our estimates are based on public reporting, company valuations, and deal and earnings figures all compiled in an internal valuation model. They are approximate, and figures change over time as new information emerges.
For this list we used the 2020 gains from our original ranking and applied closing stock prices from 31 December 2020 and 23 October 2026 to stakes assumed unchanged. We label those as estimates, because founders have sold shares and given money away.
Last updated: October 2026.
