As of today, Bezos's wealth is estimated at $240 billion, which is approximately equal to the GDP of Greece ($243B, IMF 2024). It seems that if Greece were a product on Amazon, Bezos could simply put it in his baskeLet's imagine a situation where you are the president of a certain country, with power, legislation and resources in your hands. But one day, a private jet arrives in your country and a billionaire gets off, with a wealth equal to or even exceeding the entire economic potential. And the question arises: who holds the real power—the elected leader, or the billionaire with deeper pockets?
In fact, this is not a fictional situation, but a true reality of the 21st century. The world has changed, and today individuals possess wealth that dwarfs the economies of entire countries. Yes, GDP is not exactly a country's wallet, but rather an indicator of its economic activity and potential. However, by comparing the wealth of billionaires to a country's GDP, we are actually comparing the personal budget of an individual with the annual income of an entire country. While this comparison is not perfect, it is revealing. It opens the door to understanding a new reality: if wealth is power, then who really rules the world today?
GDP vs. Net Worth: The Billionaires Rich Enough to Buy Countries
(Note: All GDP figures are based on World Bank and IMF estimates for 2023–2024. Billionaire net worths are according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of mid-2025.)
Jeff Bezos
An American businessman known primarily as the founder of Amazon. After leaving the company, he decided to focus on other ambitious projects, such as the space company Blue Origin and The Washington Post. As befits one of the richest men on the planet, Bezos' lifestyle matches his financial means. His high-profile spending has been repeatedly reported in the global media: for example, he bought three adjoining apartments in New York for around $80 million, as well as a private Gulfstream G650ER jet for $65 million. At the same time, his most interesting purchase was a watch that has been ticking for a hundred years.
In 2025, Bezos took his extravagance to the next level by essentially buying out Venice for his wedding celebration with Lauren Sánchez. The event gathered a constellation of stars—from Barbra Streisand and Bill Gates to Leonardo DiCaprio—prompting headlines like "Bezos buys Venice for a weekend." The entire Grand Canal area was cordoned off, and security teams reportedly asked tourists to reroute their gondolas.
Fun fact: Did you know that Jeff Bezos made a cameo appearance in the film ‘Star Trek: Beyond’?
Mark Zuckerberg
An American entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook. Zuckerberg decided that wasting energy on small decisions was not for him, so he sticks to a simple style of clothing: usually plain grey T-shirts or hoodies. The entrepreneur is a big fan of Iron Man, so, inspired by the coolness of Tony Stark, he created his own home AI assistant named Jarvis, voiced by the legendary Morgan Freeman. Together with his wife Priscilla Chan, the billionaire purchased more than 1,300 hectares of land on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, spending more than $170 million. He even built a wall around the area, which gave rise to many jokes and memes about Zuckerberg trying to create his own country.
Today, Zuckerberg's net worth is estimated at around $260 billion, which is approximately equal to the GDP of Finland ($282B, World Bank 2023). Just imagine: he could buy most of Finland’s infrastructure and still have enough money left over to create several metaverse worlds.
Fun fact: Zuckerberg once learned to code on an Atari BASIC manual given to him by his father and later hacked into Harvard's student database to build the original Facemash.
Bill Gates at TED2010. February 9-13, 2010, Long Beach, CA. Credit: TED / Marla Aufmuth
Bill Gates
The co-founder of Microsoft, philanthropist, and investor is not only one of the most influential people in the world, but also a connoisseur of luxury. His $125 million Xanadu 2.0 estate in Medina, Washington, is the largest private home in the United States. Spanning 6,000 square metres, it has 24 bathrooms, a huge library, a home cinema, a swimming pool with underwater music, and even a trampoline room. However, this is not Gates' only luxury purchase. For example, in 1994, the investor purchased the Leicester Codex, a 500-year-old notebook by Leonardo da Vinci filled with scientific ideas and sketches. He is also the owner of a rare Porsche 959, the importation of which to the United States once required lobbying for changes in legislation due to the car's non-compliance with safety standards.
His $179 billion net worth is almost equivalent to the GDP of Ukraine ($179B, IMF 2023). Gates has enough wealth to casually sketch out a national budget while having breakfast in his personal library.
Fun fact: Gates once memorized the license plates of all his employees to track who was staying late at the office—a quirky habit from his early Microsoft days that he later admitted in interviews.
Bernard Arnault
Chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company. According to Forbes, Arnault is consistently ranked among the top 3 richest individuals globally. He has built an empire around prestige, overseeing brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Moët & Chandon. His taste for luxury extends beyond business: he has been a patron of art, funded cultural institutions, and acquired high-end properties across Europe. Arnault’s presence in the luxury world is so dominant that he has been dubbed the "pope of fashion."
With a net worth of $149 billion, Arnault’s personal fortune is roughly equal to the GDP of Morocco (~$144B, World Bank 2023). If luxury were a country, he’d already be its undisputed ruler.
Fun fact: Arnault once bought an entire art collection just to prevent a rival luxury group from acquiring it.
Volodymyr Nosov
Founder and President of WhiteBIT Group, which has built the largest crypto platform in Europe by traffic. Unlike many billionaires, Nosov channels his biggest spending into charity—most notably, to support Ukrainians during the war. For instance, he bought a Eurovision trophy won by the Kalush Orchestra for nearly $900,000. Known as a passionate car collector, he also added Freddie Mercury's iconic Rolls-Royce to his garage by donating $11 million to charity. Nosov’s ambitions span beyond philanthropy: under his leadership, WhiteBIT entered major sports by partnering with Juventus and FC Barcelona—and, according to some rumors, Nosov has even acquired a stake in Juventus, making him the owner of not just one, but several football clubs.
His wealth is now estimated at $6–7 billion, he's nearing the economic scale of the entire Principality of Monaco ($9.995B, 2023).With wealth on par with Monaco’s GDP, he could probably host a Grand Prix of his own—on-chain and invitation-only.
Fun fact: Nosov is known for his deep and melodic voice and once loves performing Frank Sinatra songs. Rumor has it that he never misses a chance to sing 'Fly Me to the Moon'—especially when Bitcoin is on the rise.
Fred Ehrsam
An American entrepreneur, co-founder of Coinbase and Paradigm, and currently CEO of Nudge. While working as a trader at Goldman Sachs, the entrepreneur came across a research article about bitcoin by a Georgetown University professor. Interested in the asset's potential, he started trading in his spare time, which was the beginning of his journey into crypto. In addition to business, Ersam has a gaming background: he spent hours playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, America's Army, and World of Warcraft. It was in WoW that he spent thousands of hours as a member of the top team and was first introduced to the phenomenon of digital currencies that functioned in the game. In one of his interviews, Ersam humorously recalled that the most expensive thing he ever bought was a $19,000 car purchased in 2012.
Today, his net worth is estimated at $2.93 billion, which is more than the GDP of the entire Burundi ($2.6B, IMF 2023). And if one day Ersam wants to, he can easily cover all the expenses of this country - from road construction to school education - and still have money left over for a Tesla Cybertruck.
Fun fact: Ersam named his pet dog Satoshi, and once claimed he learned more economics from MMORPGs than from school.
Gautam Adani
Indian infrastructure tycoon and founder of Adani Group, a conglomerate with interests in energy, logistics, ports, and green tech. As of the latest Forbes ranking, Adani's net worth is estimated at $85 billion, making him one of Asia's wealthiest industrialists. Adani’s meteoric rise reflects India’s transformation into a global economic powerhouse. Despite weathering major allegations and stock crashes, his political ties and expansive projects keep him at the heart of India’s industrial growth.
His net worth is around $85 billion, surpassing the GDP of Sri Lanka (~$84.5B, IMF 2023). In a region where infrastructure is power, Adani’s reach spans from sea ports to solar farms—shaping national agendas along the way.
Fun fact: Adani once said in an interview that he never takes vacations, and his idea of relaxing is reviewing port expansion blueprints.
The Winklevoss Twins
Famous brothers, founders of the Gemini crypto exchange and one of the first crypto billionaires. They were among the first to openly declare their wealth gained through cryptocurrency and coined the phrase ‘Bitcoin billionaires’, which has become a symbol of a new generation of investors. After a high-profile lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg, in which they accused him of stealing the Facebook idea, the brothers received $65 million in compensation. Later, they invested part of this amount in Bitcoin, which brought them billions of dollars in future profits. In addition, they invested in a number of other cryptocurrency companies, including mining company Marathon Digital Holdings, crypto wallet developer Ledger, and Coinbase, investing $100 million in 2017.
Today, the personal wealth of each of the brothers is estimated at $2.7 billion. For comparison, if you add up their wealth together, it’s roughly equal to the GDP of Montenegro (~$3.5B, IMF 2023) If Montenegro were a tiny financial island on the map of the global economy, the Winklevoss twins would be the matching mega-yachts anchored off its coast—fully Web3-equipped and ready to race.
Fun fact: The Winklevoss twins are Olympic rowers and performed the actual rowing in The Social Network since their body doubles couldn’t keep pace.
Larry Ellison
Co-founder of Oracle and one of Silicon Valley’s most eccentric billionaires. Forbes currently estimates his fortune at around $236 billion, placing him in the top 10 wealthiest people on the planet. Known for his passion for sailing, Japanese architecture, and buying entire towns, Ellison famously purchased 98% of the Hawaiian island of Lanai, transforming it into a sustainable paradise. He also owns multiple mega-mansions and sponsors America’s Cup sailing competitions.
Ellison’s wealth, estimated at $236 billion, exceeds the GDP of Kazakhstan (~$262 B, IMF/World Bank 2023). From enterprise software to his personal island, Ellison turned enterprise software into an empire—and his empire into personal sovereignty.
Fun fact: Ellison is so obsessed with samurai culture that he built a traditional Japanese dojo on one of his properties—complete with authentic swords.
Final Thoughts
When individual wealth exceeds the budgets of entire countries, the boundaries of power shift. Influence today isn't just about titles or public office—it often lies with those who control access to key resources, from capital to information. While elected leaders set laws, billionaires can shape markets and public opinion. Money isn’t everything, and not all institutions can be bought—but the balance of power is evolving. So, the real question becomes: who truly influences the world we live in?
