This Was the Year of the Super Billionaire, With $1 Trillion in Gains

Elon Musk’s wealth surged as he tweeted about taxes and crypto
Bill Hwang’s implosion was one of the greatest wealth wipeouts

Elon Musk
Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

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By Devon Pendleton and Jack Witzig

December 31, 2021 at 5:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Elon Musk’s wealth soared to levels only ever achieved by John D. Rockefeller. Bill Hwang lost $20 billion in days, Bill Gates -- once the world’s richest man -- divorced under a Jeffrey Epstein cloud.

For the wealthiest people on the planet, 2021 was a year of enormous gains, extreme losses and unprecedented scrutiny.