Mark Zuckerberg has overtaken Jeff Bezos to become the world’s fourth-richest individual after Amazon’s stock price dropped significantly on Friday. The e-commerce giant’s shares plunged 9.3% to approximately $202 shortly after markets opened, following disappointing earnings and an announcement of substantial capital expenditures planned for 2026.
Amazon reported earnings per share of $1.95 for its most recent quarter, falling short of analyst expectations of $1.97 EPS, though revenue exceeded estimates at $213.4 billion. The primary concern for investors centered on CEO Andy Jassy’s announcement that the company expects to spend approximately $200 billion in 2026, driven by demand for AI products, proprietary chips, robotics technology, and low-orbit satellite infrastructure. This spending projection represents a substantial 36% increase over Wall Street’s consensus estimate of $146.6 billion, with MoffettNathanson analysts noting the scale was “materially greater than consensus expected.”
The stock decline reduced Bezos’ net worth by $16 billion, a 6.9% decrease, bringing his total wealth to $218.9 billion and positioning him as the world’s fifth-richest person. Zuckerberg’s net worth stands at $226.6 billion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk maintains his position as the world’s wealthiest individual with $839.4 billion, followed by Google co-founders Larry Page at $267.3 billion and Sergey Brin at $246.6 billion.
Amazon’s aggressive spending plans reflect a broader trend across major technology companies racing to build AI infrastructure. Four tech giants, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, have collectively projected approximately $610 billion in combined capital expenditures for 2026. Alphabet has forecasted spending between $175 billion and $185 billion, while Meta anticipates $115 billion to $135 billion, and Microsoft estimates $105 billion.
The rankings among the world’s wealthiest individuals have seen frequent changes recently, with Zuckerberg and Bezos exchanging positions multiple times. Oracle chairman Larry Ellison, who reached second place in September as only the second person to achieve a $400 billion net worth, now ranks sixth with $182.9 billion after Oracle shares declined more than 28% this year.
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