Mark Zuckerberg's Personal Wealth Dropped By $71 Billion This Year -- More than Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates The billionaire's net worth lives and dies by the performance of his company, Meta Platforms. And tech has had a rough year.

By Gabrielle Bienasz

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Kevin Dietsch / Staff/ Getty Images

Amid a broader tech rout, one billionaire, in particular, has seen his fortune get extra squeezed.

According to Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg lost the most money since the beginning of the year out of the "ultra-rich" tracked on the outlet's Billionaires Index: a whopping $71 billion.

Musk's net worth dropped by $6 billion, Bill and Melinda Gates lost $27 and $26 billion, and Jeff Bezos shed $46 billion.

But Zuckerberg's losses dwarfed them all. The founder of Facebook, renamed Meta Platforms in November, dropped 14 spots in the outlet's index since the start of the year and now is at No. 20.

Zuckerberg was ranked third on this list in May 2020 with a net worth of $87.8 billion.

In September 2021, he clocked in at $142 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Now, he has an estimated net worth of $55.3 billion.

His fortune is pretty much hitched to Meta's performance, as the outlet noted. And it wasn't a great year for the company. Investors are skeptical about Meta's pivot to focusing on the virtual reality metaverse, for one thing.

The public might also be feeling dubious. Recently, Zuckerberg was roasted online for the apparent simplicity of a picture of his metaverse avatar, (which he later said was a draft of sorts) relative to the cost of the project.

Facebook is also losing out on Generation Z, pretty resoundingly, to TikTok, despite the company's attempts to replicate short-form video on Instagram and Facebook.

And, as Bloomberg notes, in February, Facebook reported losing users for the first time in its history — and Zuckerberg lost $31 billion that day alone.

In January, Meta was trading at $338 a share, and it's down to $148 as of Tuesday -- a 56% decrease.

Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at Entrepreneur. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This Couple Started a Side Hustle to Improve a 'Terribly Made' Bathroom Essential. Now the Business Earns More Than $3 Million a Year.

Michael Fine and Lisa Schulner-Fine launched lifestyle brand Quiet Town in 2016 and have been growing it ever since.

Growing a Business

Founders Are Missing This One Investment — But It Could Be the Most Profitable One You Make

When founders are empowered with support, grounded in their vision and guided along their path, everything flourishes.

Leadership

Here's What It Takes to Evolve From Hands-On Founder to Strategic CEO

Making the leap from founder to CEO requires more than just growth — it demands a shift in mindset.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Social Media

With This LinkedIn Algorithm Change, Your Best Posts Could Reach New Readers for Months

It's one of many new features rolling out on the platform in 2024.

Leadership

Your Employees Need More Than Paychecks and Perks — Here's What They Really Want

In an era where remote and hybrid work arrangements are reshuffling traditional office dynamics, thoughtful, personalized benefits are becoming a powerful differentiator. The bottom line is really simple: If you want to support your employees, address their long-term financial needs.