Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, has been surpassed by Barry Lam, the founder of Quanta Computer, as Taiwan's richest individual. Lam's net worth has reached $11.7 billion, doubling his fortune and securing the top spot on the list. Quanta Computer is a prominent computer and server maker, manufacturing for tech giants like Dell, Apple, and Google. Lam's co-founder, C.C. Leung, also made his first appearance on the list, ranking 42nd. The Tsai brothers of Fubon Financial Holdings ranked second with an estimated fortune of $10.7 billion, while Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, slipped to third place with a worth of $10.5 billion. The Chang brothers from ASE Technology Holding secured fourth place with $7.8 billion. Morris Chang, the founder of TSMC, moved up eight spots to 16th with a fortune of $3.3 billion. The rankings reflect the boost in Taiwan's economy due to AI demand, semiconductors, and a surge in exports. [7308046a]
In other news, Larry Ellison, founder and largest shareholder of Oracle, saw his wealth grow $14 billion overnight, making him the seventh-richest person on earth. Ellison's net worth jumped from $138 billion to $152 billion due to the surge in shares of Oracle's cloud applications business, which he owns more than 40% of. This increase in wealth allowed Ellison to surpass Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Alphabet founder Sergey Brin on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The spike in wealth is attributed to the demand for artificial intelligence (AI), with Oracle signing large AI sales contracts and working closely with companies like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. Other tech billionaires, including Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates, have also seen their fortunes grow due to AI-related developments. Overall, the super-rich have collectively gained at least $150 billion from AI technology. Ellison's wealth has grown by $29.1 billion in 2024 alone, reaching a record high. [63eafee3]
Ion Tiriac, a little-known Romanian tennis player and former ice hockey player, is worth four times more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Tiriac, who retired decades ago, had a net worth almost four times more than Ronaldo. He had a successful business career as the founder of the Tiriac Group, which has numerous assets in various industries worldwide. Tiriac's best performance in tennis was reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open in 1968. He also represented Romania in the 1964 Winter Olympics in ice hockey. Ronaldo, on the other hand, is a wealthy football player with millions in assets and properties from his sporting career and endorsements. [81da1172]