The global wealth list over the past 26 years reads like an epic of dynastic succession.

The first 20 years belonged to the era of tech pioneers. Gates reigned for a decade, Buffett’s prominence was fleeting, and Mexican telecom tycoon Slim unexpectedly ruled for four years. By the 2010s, the e-commerce concept exploded, with Bezos reigning for four consecutive terms thanks to the Amazon empire, and French luxury icon Arnault also briefly crowned.

But everything was rewritten in 2022. Musk emerged suddenly, launching his own era. From $219 billion that year to over $700 billion today, tripling in just three years. Look at this growth rate — it’s no longer the playbook of traditional business.

A deeper change is that the threshold for the richest has leapt from hundreds of billions to trillions. This reflects not only the acceleration of individual wealth accumulation but also a fundamental shift in the characteristics of the era — the close integration of technological innovation and capital power has become the core engine of wealth creation.