Luxury vehicles and space exploration magnate, Elon Musk, endures a significant $75 billion dip in wealth in the year 2025.
In the world of tech billionaires, 2025 saw significant shifts for two of the industry's heavyweights - Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, announced in January 2025 that he would be donating a large portion of his fortune to his foundation. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index subsequently updated Gates' figure to reflect his statement, confirming he was giving away practically all of his money to his philanthropic endeavours. Gates announced he is giving away approximately $100 billion of his net worth to his foundation, which must be spent within the next 20 years.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, found himself embroiled in a political controversy with then-President Donald Trump. The political fallout began with Musk's June 2025 criticism of Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," a major budget law, calling it "disgusting" and full of wasteful spending. Trump retaliated by threatening to cancel all federal contracts and subsidies for Musk's businesses, including Tesla and SpaceX.
The public feud caused market jitters around Musk's companies. Trump initially aimed to cut subsidies and contracts which could have hurt Tesla's operational budget and growth prospects. However, Trump later walked back some of these threats, stating Musk's businesses would continue to receive federal subsidies, suggesting temporary easing of tensions.
The political clash caused volatility in Tesla's stock price amid uncertainty about government support and regulatory outcomes. Regarding Musk's personal net worth, the public feud and potential government contract cancellations likely generated downward pressure due to stock market reactions and uncertainty around SpaceX and Tesla's government-dependent projects.
Musk's political fallout prompted him to announce the formation of a new political party and scale back direct political engagement, indicating a strategic shift away from reliance on Trump’s administration.
As of the time of writing, Musk's net worth stands at $357 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' net worth is $234 billion, a decrease from $239 billion at the end of 2024.
Meta's Mark Zuckerberg's net worth is $272 billion, an increase from $207 billion at the end of 2024, and Oracle's Larry Ellison's net worth is currently $303 billion, an increase from $192 billion at the end of last year.
[1] The Verge [2] CNBC [3] New York Times [4] TechCrunch
[1] Finance experts predict that Elon Musk's latest political maneuvers could impact his business, potentially affecting the future of his ventures, including Tesla and SpaceX. [2] Meanwhile, Bill Gates' philanthropic efforts could shape the broader landscape of general-news, as he donates a significant portion of his fortune to humanitarian causes. [3] The tech-industry-focused politics of 2025 have also sparked debates on business ethics and corporate responsibility in technology. [4] Following Musk's public feud with President Trump, technology journalists have been closely monitoring the intersection of politics, business, and technology, making it a key topic for discussion on platforms like TechCrunch and The Verge.
