Featured Image Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Elon Musk, Money, Politics, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Celebrity, Elon Musk, Money, Politics, Social Media
It's that time of year again where Forbes announces all we need to know about the richest billionaires on Earth.
While the outlet breaks down the list into a number of different categories - including 'The Richest Billionaire In Each Country', 'The World's Celebrity Billionaires', and 'The Richest Women In The World' - it seems like the category people are most interested in is the highly controversial 'The World's Richest Person'.
The accolade in question has been awarded to none other than Elon Musk, something which has sparked major outrage online.
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The 53-year-old Tesla CEO, who is also CEO of satellite internet service Starlink as well as aerospace company SpaceX, has ranked as the runner-up by Forbes in the past two years.
However, he's since reclaimed the No.1 spot, boasting a net worth of of $342 billion (as of 7 March, when Forbes locked in net worths for the list).
Not only does this make Musk, who also owns social media platform X, the richest person in the world, but also the richest person Forbes has ever tracked - ranking in at a whole $118 billion richer than second-place Mark Zuckerberg.
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Just so you have an idea of scale, the gap between the two billionaires is more than the entire net worth of Bill Gates, and roughly equal to the market capitalisation of Spotify.
After catching light of the news one Facebook user lamented: "It’s a shame they can’t have a true ranking on kind, generous, caring people."
"Rich in dollars but morally bankrupt," declared a second, while a third echoed: "Who cares he is definitely displaying a lack of moral conscience for those less fortunate."
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A fourth chimed in: "I realise there are many people who measure the worth of a person by their wealth.
"That is NOT part of my sense of a person. Actions and behaviour count."
"Wealth means nothing when compared to empathy and treating other people humanely," penned a fifth. "Musk has money but lacks the personal character and the willingness to do good for others with his money."
A sixth chimed in: "And so? All this money didn't succeed in making him human."
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"Not rich in character or integrity means nothing to the rest of us," quipped another.
And a final social media user added: "Maybe we should stop doing this and make a list of the world’s most philanthropic people.
"Let’s emphasise caring for others over hoarding wealth."
Tyla has reached out to Elon Musk's representatives for comment.