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As you may have heard, on Saturday, Warren Buffett made a historic announcement: after six decades running Berkshire Hathaway, he plans to step down as CEO at the end of the year. At 94, the “Oracle of Omaha” will retain his role as Chairman of the Board, but his day-to-day stewardship of the company he built from a failing textile firm into a $1.1 trillion juggernaut is coming to an end. His handpicked successor, Vice Chairman Greg Abel, will take the reins—a transition long anticipated, yet still symbolic of the end of one of the greatest financial eras in American history.
Thanks to his very large stake in Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett has been a mainstay on lists of the world’s richest people for decades. And despite being synonymous with extreme wealth and generally understood to be the greatest investor of all time, Warren has actually only been the richest person in the world ONCE. And he held the crown very briefly.
Back in March 2008, Warren’s $62 billion net worth topped Bill Gates’ $58 billion net worth. Up to that point, Gates had been the richest person in the world uninterrupted for 13 years. However, this distinction was short-lived. By March 2009, amid the global financial crisis, both men’s fortunes had declined significantly. Bill Gates’ net worth dropped to $40 billion, while Warren Buffett’s fell to $37 billion, placing Gates back at the top of the list. Warren never reclaimed the crown.
Today, Warren Buffett’s net worth of $170 billion makes him the fifth-richest person on the planet.
Fun fact: It took Warren 87 years to see his net worth top $80 billion. He accomplished that feat in 2017. It then only took him eight years to double that number. Actually, double the number PLUS $10 billion. That’s the power of compounding very large numbers.
Speaking of very large numbers. A moment ago, when we said Warren never reclaimed the title of world’s richest person. There’s actually a big caveat to that statement…
Warren in 1984 (Photo by Bonnie Schiffman/Getty Images)
What would Warren Buffett be worth today had he never donated a dollar to charity?
So, what if Warren Buffett had a change of heart back in 2006 and decided not to give away his fortune? What if he kept every Berkshire Hathaway share for himself? How rich would he be now, in 2025? In case you’re thinking it’s as simple as adding $170 billion (his current net worth) to $60 billion (his total donations) and arriving at $230 billion as the answer, it’s actually a little more complicated than that. Because Buffett donated his shares steadily over time, and because Berkshire Hathaway’s stock has appreciated significantly in the years since, the shares he gave away would be worth far more today had he kept them.
Buffett’s net worth in 2025 is about $170 billion, making him the world’s fifth-richest person at present.
Here’s a snapshot of the current top six richest people in the world:
- Elon Musk – $336 billion
- Jeff Bezos – $212 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg – $211 billion
- Larry Ellison – $174 billion
- Warren Buffett – $170 billion
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Buffett’s net worth is almost entirely attributable to his 14% stake in Berkshire Hathaway. If he had never donated any shares, however, Buffett would still hold 100% of his original stake, which was enormous. In 2006, Buffett held about 31% of Berkshire’s equity (roughly 475,000 Class A shares).
In dollar terms, that means Buffett’s hypothetical net worth could be on the order of $350 billion today – roughly double his current fortune! 😲 That wouldn’t just make him richer than Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, or Larry Ellison. At $350 billion, Buffett would actually be the richest person in the world today, surpassing Elon Musk’s current net worth of $336 billion.
But just a few months ago, that wouldn’t have been the case. In late 2024, Musk’s net worth surged to an all-time high of $486 billion, the largest fortune ever recorded. So while Buffett’s could-have-been $350B fortune would easily take the top spot today, it still would’ve trailed Musk’s historical peak.
And how would Buffett’s $350 billion compare historically? It would make him richer than any person in modern history aside from Musk. He’d even surpass legendary tycoons like John D. Rockefeller, whose fortune at its 1937 peak is estimated at around $340 billion in today’s money.
As Warren Buffett rides off into the investing sunset, he leaves behind more than just a fortune—he leaves a legacy. He could have been the second-richest person to ever walk the earth. Instead, he chose to give it all away. In doing so, he traded a crown of wealth for something far more lasting: impact. His fortune may fade from the rankings, but its ripple will be felt for centuries.
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