Many tech billionaires have lost wealth in 2025 because the share prices in the companies they own mostly remain underwater. As an example, Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN | AMZN Price Prediction) stock is down 2% this year, while the S&P 500 is up 6%. That hurts Jeff Bezos’ net worth. Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) is down 25%, which undermines Elon Musk’s net worth. One “billionaire” stock is up. Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) trades 9% above where it was at the start of the year. And the net worth of the Walton family has risen with it.
Of the 15 richest people in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaire list, only the Walton family has posted a large increase in their wealth. Jim, Rob, and Alice have each had a gain of about $300 million. They are the children of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Walmart is currently the largest retailer in the world (China might be an exception).
Walmart has done several things to cement its position as a retailer. It says it has passed some of the price of tariffs on to customers. This should preserve margins. J.P. Morgan recently said Walmart should be highly successful this year. The pricing power advantage was among the reasons.
Walmart has also made gains in the artificial intelligence (AI) part of retail. Walmart hired Instacart executive Daniel Danker to run its growing AI business. He will oversee “AI transformation and lead all product management and design across the enterprise.” It has added “super agents” to help online customers. Yahoo reports, “According to the retailer, the four agents powered by agentic AI are designed for Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers.”
In May, Walmart posted its earnings. Revenue rose 2.5% year over year to $165.6 billion, while adjusted earnings increased 1.7% to $0.61 per share.
The Walton family has another distinction. Among the people at the top of the Bloomberg rich list, they are the only ones who inherited their money.
From Monaco to Mexico: The Countries Where the Most Billionaires Live
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks