107 people lost their billionaire status, slipping below the required threshold
Forbes has released its annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest individuals, highlighting those whose fortunes rose and those who fell off the list. In 2025, 107 individuals lost their billionaire status after slipping below the financial threshold needed to remain on the prestigious ranking.
High-profile names who didn’t make the cut
Lisa Su
Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), played a crucial role in one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the tech industry. Since taking over in 2014, AMD’s stock soared nearly 40-fold by early 2024.
Born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1969, Su immigrated to New York City at the age of 3. The daughter of a mathematician and a bookkeeper-turned-entrepreneur, she graduated from the Bronx High School of Science before earning a bachelor’s and PhD in electrical engineering from MIT.
Before joining AMD in 2012, Su held significant roles at Texas Instruments, IBM, and Freescale. Two years later, she became the company’s CEO.
As of 2024, Ms Su was among just 26 self-made women and 26 hired executives in the US to build a billion-dollar fortune.
Sara Liu
Sara Liu co-founded Super Micro Computer Inc. (Supermicro) in 1993 alongside her husband, Charles Liang. The company, a major supplier of servers and storage systems, went public in 2007 and has since grown into a key Nvidia partner.
Ms. Liu currently serves as senior vice president and sits on the Supermicro board, while Mr. Liang holds the roles of CEO and chairman. Until 2019, she also managed the company’s finances as treasurer.
Despite Supermicro’s continued growth, Liu has dropped off Forbes’ 2025 billionaire list.
Nicolas Puech
Nicolas Puech, a fifth-generation descendant of Thierry Hermès, was once a key stakeholder in the renowned Parisian luxury brand. Although he stepped down from Hermès’ supervisory board in 2014, he retained just under 5% of the company, while other family members maintained a majority stake.
That same year, Hermès and LVMH resolved a four-year dispute over LVMH’s secret stock accumulation, which had fueled takeover speculations involving Bernard Arnault.
Despite his longstanding connection to the fashion empire, Puech now claims his fortune has vanished, leading to his removal from Forbes’ 2025 billionaire list.
The billionaire population reaches new heights
While some individuals lost their billionaire status, 288 new names joined the ranks in 2025. Among them are:
- Bruce Springsteen ($1.2 billion)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.1 billion)
- Jerry Seinfeld ($1.1 billion)
Despite some losses, the global billionaire population hit a record 3,028, surpassing the 3,000 mark for the first time. Their combined wealth surged to $16.1 trillion, up $2 trillion from last year.
Among the biggest winners, Elon Musk’s net worth skyrocketed by 75%, reaching $342 billion, making him the first person in history to surpass $300 billion.
