It’s no secret tech leaders wield a large influence when ranking the world’s richest people.

Eight of the top 20 billionaires in the world earned their wealth through the tech sector, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires index.

Of those tech billionaires, seven are among the top 10 richest overall.

The tech billionaires on the list earned their fortunes through industries including automotive, online retail, software and social media. The top seven tech entrepreneurs have a combined net worth topping $936 billion.

But they’ve also lost plenty of cash compared to this time a year ago.

According to Bloomberg, the combined net worth of the eight tech billionaires in the top 20 plunged by $256 billion, roughly equal to the gross domestic product of New Zealand, based on World Bank data.

Who are the eight tech billionaires and how did they make their money?
Here’s a breakdown of the tech leaders on Bloomberg’s list as of Friday.

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Mark Zuckerberg
Net worth: $63.8 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $61.7 billion

Where he ranks: 17th

How he made his money: Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook, which helped usher in the era of social media by connecting family, friends, and the occasional random person from high school you really don’t talk to that often. Facebook eventually morphed into Meta to better reflect the company’s shift toward virtual reality and the metaverse.

Larry Ellison
Net worth: $88.8 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $18.4 billion

Where he ranks: 10th

How he made his money: Ellison co-founded software giant Oracle in 1977 in Silicon Valley. Ten years later, it would go on to become the largest database management company in the world. Ellison also owns his own Hawaiian island.

Steve Ballmer
Net worth: $94.6 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $11 billion

Where he ranks: 9th

How he made his money: Ballmer served as CEO of Microsoft from 2000 to 2014, pushing its revenue toward $80 billion by the time he retired. Ballmer is currently owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

Sergey Brin
Net worth: $103 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $20.9 billion

Where he ranks: 6th

How he made his money: Brin is one of the co-founders of Google, which has become an indispensable search and productivity tools for billions of people. As of Friday, Google parent company Alphabet has a market cap of $1.5 trillion.

Larry Page
Net worth: $107 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $21.3 billion

Where he ranks: 5th

How he made his money: The other co-founder of tech giant Google. Both Page and Brin currently serve on Alphabet’s board of directors.

Bill Gates
Net worth: $116 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $22.4 billion

Where he ranks: 4th

How he made his money: Gates co-founded Microsoft, which carries a market cap of roughly $2 trillion. After Microsoft, he started the philanthropic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help fight poverty and global inequity. He was also once a great chair jumper.

Jeff Bezos
Net worth: $140 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $52.5 billion

Where he ranks: 2nd

How he made his money: See those Amazon packages on your doorstep? Pat yourself on the back because you have helped make Bezos, Amazon’s founder, a lot of dough. The online retailer has become a staple for many households, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions kept us at home. Bezos has since stepped down as CEO of Amazon, and now he plays with rockets.

Elon Musk
Net worth: $223 billion

Change from a year ago: Down $47.8 billion

Where he ranks: 1st

How he made his money: Musk owns electric car manufacturer Tesla and, like Bezos, also plays with rockets thanks to SpaceX. He is currently working toward a deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion, but that deal appears in jeopardy.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/07/10/2022-billionaire-tech-leader-losses/7821018001/