Datastream
Ranked: The Top 10 Richest People on the Planet
The Briefing
- Elon Musk is currently the richest person in the world, with a total net worth of $198 billion as of Sept 21, 2021
- Jeff Bezos comes in second place, with a net worth of $194 billion
Ranked: The Top 10 Richest People on the Planet
The top 10 richest people on the planet have a combined net worth of $1.4 trillion. For some context, that’s roughly the same size as Australia’s GDP.
Who are these ultra-wealthy individuals, and what’s the source of their wealth? Here’s a look at the top 10 richest people on the planet, and how they’ve made their billions.
Who’s in the $100 Billion Club?
Elon Musk is currently the richest of them all, with a total net worth of $198 billion. That’s $60 billion more than the entire group’s average of $138 billion.
| Rank | Name | Total Net Worth | Country | Industry | Source of Wealth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elon Musk | $198 B | U.S. | Technology | Tesla, Space X |
| 2 | Jeff Bezos | $194 B | U.S. | Technology | Amazon |
| 3 | Bernard Arnault | $157 B | France | Consumer | LVMH |
| 4 | Bill Gates | $149 B | U.S. | Technology | Microsoft |
| 5 | Mark Zuckerberg | $132 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 6 | Larry Page | $124 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 7 | Sergey Brin | $119 B | U.S. | Technology | |
| 8 | Steve Ballmer | $105 B | U.S. | Technology | Microsoft |
| 9 | Larry Ellison | $100 B | U.S. | Technology | Oracle |
| 10 | Warren Buffett | $100 B | U.S. | Diversified | Berkshire Hathaway |
This is fairly unsurprising considering how well Tesla stock has been performing over recent years. While many skeptics expect the Tesla bubble to burst eventually—including famous investor Michael Burry—so far, the car company’s value has continued to surge.
With a current market cap of $768 billion, Tesla’s worth more than the next six largest car manufacturers combined.
Musk took the top spot from Jeff Bezos, who just a few months ago, held the title as the world’s richest person. However, it’s worth noting that things could change at the drop of a hat, since the pair are constantly neck and neck.
Third on the list is Bernard Arnault, CEO of the luxury brand conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Loro Piana, and Bulgari. Arnault is the wealthiest person in Europe, and actually even became the wealthiest in the world for a brief stint in May.
The Money’s in Tech (and in the U.S.)
When looking at this ranking, there are two obvious trends:
- Most of these billionaires are in the tech industry, apart from Bernard Arnault and Warren Buffett
- All are men located America, with the exception of Arnault
Considering America’s tech sector is only expected to grow in the coming years, it’s likely that American tech billionaires will continue their reign for the foreseeable future.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Bloomberg Billionaires Index
Notes: Data as of September 21st, 2021
Datastream
Ranked: The Top Online Music Services in the U.S. by Monthly Users
This graphic shows the percentage of Americans that are monthly music listeners for each service. Which online music service is most popular?
The Briefing
- Two-thirds of music listeners in the U.S. used YouTube at least once per month
- 64% of music listeners use multiple music services per month
The Top Online Music Services in the U.S.
The music streaming industry is characterized by fierce competition, with many companies vying for market share.
Companies are competing on multiple fronts, from price and features to advertising and exclusive content, making it a challenging market for companies to succeed in.
YouTube (the standard offering and YouTube Music) has the highest amount of users, attracting around two-thirds of music listeners in the U.S. during a given month. This is largely due to the YouTube’s massive reach and extensive catalog of music.
Here’s a full rundown of the top music streaming services in the U.S. by monthly listeners:
| Rank | Music Service | % of U.S. Music Listeners Who Use Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | YouTube | 61% |
| #2T | Spotify | 35% |
| #2T | Amazon Music | 35% |
| #4 | Pandora | 23% |
| #5 | SiriusXM | 21% |
| #6 | Apple Music | 19% |
| #7 | iHeartRadio | 15% |
| #8 | SoundCloud | 10% |
| #9 | Audacity | 6% |
| #10T | TuneIn | 5% |
| #10T | Deezer | 5% |
| #10T | Napster | 5% |
| #10T | Tidal | 5% |
Two companies are in the running for second place: Spotify and Amazon Music.
Spotify leads in one important metric: number of paid users. Meanwhile, Amazon Music has a large user base since the service is bundled into Prime—however, recent changes mean that without a premium subscription, shuffled playback is the primary option. Time will tell what impact those changes will have on the service’s market share.
Prices for premium music services are beginning to creep upward. Apple Music and Amazon Music raised their prices, and it’s rumored that Spotify will not be far behind. This move would be significant because, in the U.S., Spotify hasn’t raised its prices in over a decade.
Rising prices and more aggressive promotion of premium subscriptions could be a signal that music streaming services are transitioning from a focus on capturing market share to monetizing existing users.
Where does this data come from?
Source: Activate Technology and Media Outlook 2023 by Activate Consulting
Data note: “Music services” include free and paid services used for listening to music through any format excluding terrestrial radio. “Music listeners” are defined as adults aged 18+ who spend any time listening to music.
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