Move Over, Elon Musk: Indian Billionaire Could Unseat Jeff Bezos in Quest for ‘Richest Man in the World’ Title

In the westernized world, two names are frequently tossed around when people talk about the ultra-rich: Jeff Bezos and Elon

Sep 7, 2022
Move Over

In the westernized world, two names are frequently tossed around when people talk about the ultra-rich: Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

But the conversation is missing one vital component: the world's third richest man who is rapidly overtaking his peers, and could soon challenge Musk for the top spot.

See: Another One Bites the Musk: Elon Musk's Newest Affair News has 'Gone Supernova'

Gautam Adani is Taking the World by Storm

You should know his name: Gautam Adani. Third richest man in the world and richest man in Asia, Adani is closing in on second-richest, Jeff Bezos with alarming (to Bezos) rapidity.

As of the end of August, here's how the world's richest rank:

  1. Elon Musk: $251B
  2. Jeff Bezos: $153B
  3. Guatam Adani: $137B
  4. Bernard Arnault: $136B
  5. Bill Gates: $117B.

And the rest don't even come close, with the next-richest being Warren Buffett with a net worth of around $100B, chump change for the top 5.

But even though it looks as though Adani and Arnault are neck-in-neck, Adani is gaining ground quickly after a 1000% increase in stock value. Of course the next question would be, why does anyone care?

Because billionaires drive policy. Domestic policy, foreign policy, from the ground to the top, someone with as much money as Adani has can easily influence world governments and fellow businesspeople.

And what Adani is focused on is the future. Going from relative obscurity to one of the richest people on the planet in just about a decade, Adani is a forward-thinker who is working on improving India's future and investing in renewable energy. Deccan Herald writes, "Adani, a college dropout who was held for ransom and survived a terror attack, tried his luck in Mumbai’s diamond industry in the early 1980s before turning to coal and ports. He went on to build a business empire spanning everything from airports to data centers, media and cement. Last year, he vowed to invest $70 billion in green energy to become the world’s largest renewable-energy producer."

Elon Musk is Focused a Little Closer to Home

Elon Musk, the world's favorite billionaire playboy-to-hate, is focused on things a little more immediate. Such as growing his already prodigious family.

Musk is now a father of 8, and frequently talks about his concerns over the world's birth rate. According to Musk, it's not nuclear winter or global warming that should worry us, but the fact that our population is aging and not replacing itself apace.

While Musk's concerns are somewhat valid, it's clear that his peers such as Adani are focused on preserving the planet so they don't pass it on to a larger-but-doomed future population.

Bezos, of course, falls somewhere in the middle.

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