ByteDance co-founder Zhang Yiming has added nearly $14 billion to his fortune since the start of 2025, even as top billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have seen their net worths shrink by $135 billion and $43 billion, respectively, during the same period. Zhang’s wealth has surged 31% this year, reaching $57.5 billion.

Zhang, who co-founded ByteDance—the parent company of popular video-sharing app TikTok and news aggregator Toutiao—has become China’s richest individual and the third-richest person in Asia, trailing only Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. ByteDance, based in Beijing, boasts over 1 billion users globally and generated more than $110 billion in revenue in 2023, according to Bloomberg.

Other billionaires who have added more than $10 billion to their wealth this year include Jeff Yass and Warren Buffett, each gaining $11.5 billion. Yass’s fortune stems from his stake in Susquehanna International Group, a market-making and proprietary trading firm he co-founded, which also owns around 15% of ByteDance.

Warren Buffett, currently the world’s fourth-richest person, has also recorded a significant gain, adding $11.5 billion to his fortune this year, taking his net worth to $153.5 billion. He is one of only two individuals among the top 20 on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to have increased their wealth in 2025. Meanwhile, Zhang Yiming holds a global ranking of 23rd.

Elon Musk has suffered the steepest losses among the world’s wealthiest. A sharp selloff triggered by President Donald Trump’s new tariff measures has wiped trillions off global equity markets. Shares of Tesla Inc. plunged as much as 17.5% in just three sessions through Monday (April 7), erasing $159 billion in market capitalisation and bringing Tesla’s valuation down to $750 billion. Musk owns about 13% of Tesla and 42% of SpaceX, which was valued at nearly $350 billion as of December 2024.

Other tech giants have also faced heavy losses. Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have seen their fortunes decline by $45 billion and $43 billion, respectively, since January. Michael Dell of Dell Technologies and Alphabet co-founder Larry Page each lost $35 billion over the same period.