ISTANBUL: Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook's parent firm, Meta Platforms, jumped to fourth place on the world's billionaires list Friday, as Meta shares soared on strong financial results.
According to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, Zuckerberg's net worth increased by US$27.6 billion, or 19.88 per cent, reaching US$167 billion, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
This move placed Zuckerberg, 39, above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, investment guru Warren Buffett, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.
He was trailed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who holds the third place with almost US$194 billion, and SpaceX, Tesla, and X CEO Elon Musk, with US$198 billion in second place.
Bernard Arnault, 74, chairman and CEO of the French fashion powerhouse LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, leads the list with US$212 billion.
Zuckerberg's steep climb came after Meta saw its income more than triple to US$14 billion in the fourth quarter, according to its financial statement released Thursday.
Revenue increased 25 per cent year-on-year to US$40.11 billion, while the company managed to lower costs and expenses by 8 per cent.
With strong results, the stock price of Meta Platforms jumped 20.3 per cent to close Friday at US$474.99.
Zuckerberg is estimated to have a 13 per cent stake in Meta. --BERNAMA-ANADOLU
