Tough break for Zuck!
Mark Zuckerberg slipped from third to fifth place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index after Meta’s shares plunged 11% on Thursday — erasing a staggering $29.2 billion from his net worth in a single day.
The 41-year-old Meta CEO’s fortune now stands at $235.2 billion, marking his lowest ranking in nearly two years. The drop came as investors reacted negatively to Meta’s plan to issue $30 billion in new debt to fund its massive investments in artificial intelligence, according to Bloomberg.
The selloff represented the fourth-largest single-day loss ever recorded by Bloomberg’s wealth index.
Adding to the drama, Zuckerberg reportedly stayed silent and did not applaud during Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal Magazine Innovator Awards, where singer Billie Eilish remarked that billionaires should “give your money away.”
Meta’s worst stock decline since 2022 followed the company’s announcement that its 2025 spending forecast could rise to $118 billion — including up to $72 billion in capital expenditures for AI infrastructure — with even higher spending expected in 2026.
The massive budget increase prompted at least two analyst downgrades, as some warned that Meta’s AI ambitions could pressure profits.
Earlier this year, Zuckerberg’s wealth had soared by $57 billion thanks to a 28% surge in Meta shares, briefly bringing him close to Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk in the global rich list. But after Thursday’s drop, Bezos and Google co-founder Larry Page have both overtaken him.
At the top of the ranking, Elon Musk remains firmly in first place, followed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
Both Bezos and Page benefited from strong quarterly earnings that boosted their companies’ stock prices. Amazon’s shares have climbed more than 30% since April on optimism surrounding its cloud division’s AI partnerships, while Alphabet’s stock jumped 2.5% after posting better-than-expected third-quarter results.
Meta’s $30 billion bond offering — the largest investment-grade deal of 2025 — was intended to fund AI, data centers, and metaverse initiatives. Instead, it spooked investors, who worried the company might be stretching itself too thin while rivals gain ground in AI-powered advertising.
Despite his reputation for dressing simply in T-shirts and jeans, Zuckerberg has quietly made some of Silicon Valley’s most extravagant purchases.
He has spent hundreds of millions on real estate, including a vast Hawaiian estate on Kauai — rumored to include an underground bunker, which Zuckerberg has denied. He also owns multiple properties surrounding his Palo Alto home for privacy.
Among his more recent indulgences is the 387-foot superyacht “Launchpad,” estimated at $300 million, and a $30 million support vessel named “Wingman.” For his 40th birthday, Zuckerberg reportedly threw an elaborate party aboard the yacht — just one of several lavish celebrations in recent years.
His Hawaiian holdings now span thousands of acres, making him one of the largest private landowners in the state. Reports suggest the compound features a sophisticated security system and interconnected tunnels between buildings.
Once known for driving modest cars like the Honda Fit, Zuckerberg now owns a Pagani Huayra valued at over $1 million, along with a collection of vintage vehicles — including Ford Broncos and a custom Porsche worth around $250,000.
He even commissioned a seven-foot statue of his wife, Priscilla Chan, highlighting both his affection and taste for statement pieces.
As of Friday afternoon, Meta’s stock was still down nearly 2%, and Zuckerberg has yet to comment publicly on the selloff.
