In the ever-shifting world of global wealth and technology power, one name has quietly surged back to the very top. Sergey Brin, cofounder of Google, has become the world’s third-richest person, overtaking Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Oracle chairman Larry Ellison in a dramatic reshuffle among the global elite.
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The surge in Brin’s fortune follows a powerful rally in Alphabet shares, as Google’s parent company climbed to a fresh record high. According to Forbes, the stock’s rise pushed Alphabet into rare territory, making it only the fourth company in history to reach a $4 trillion valuation, joining Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.
Alphabet’s stock climbed as much as 2.4 percent during the session before settling up about 1.3 percent, trading above $337. The gains capped a strong run that has seen the stock rise 6.6 percent in just seven trading days. Over the course of 2025, Alphabet shares surged roughly 65 percent, marking the company’s strongest annual performance since 2009.
As Alphabet soared, other tech giants slipped. Shares of Amazon fell nearly 2 percent, while Oracle declined about 1.5 percent. That contrast played a key role in reshaping the global wealth rankings. Brin’s net worth rose by an estimated $4.9 billion to $255.6 billion, placing him behind only Elon Musk and fellow Google cofounder Larry Page. Page’s fortune now stands at roughly $277 billion, while Musk remains firmly at the top with wealth exceeding $700 billion.
Jeff Bezos has now slipped to fourth place with an estimated net worth of $253.2 billion, followed closely by Larry Ellison at approximately $251.3 billion. The margins are razor thin, underscoring how tightly tied personal fortunes have become to market confidence and technological leadership.
Investor enthusiasm around Alphabet has been fueled by a landmark partnership with Apple. The tech giant announced it would rely on Google’s Gemini system as the foundation for its artificial intelligence models and the next generation of Siri. The move was widely seen as a major endorsement of Google’s AI capabilities and sent Alphabet’s shares soaring to new highs.
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Beyond partnerships, Alphabet has been steadily positioning itself at the center of the artificial intelligence revolution. The release of Gemini 3 in late 2025 drew strong reactions from developers and analysts, while the unveiling of Ironwood, Google’s seventh-generation custom AI chip, signaled a clear ambition to compete directly with Nvidia in AI infrastructure.
Behind the numbers is a quieter story of evolution. Brin, who owns fewer Alphabet shares than Page, has become increasingly active in selling stock and donating large portions of his wealth. Much of his philanthropy has focused on advancing research into Parkinson’s disease, reflecting a shift from wealth accumulation to long-term impact.
Alphabet’s scale of ambition remains immense. In 2025, the company disclosed plans to invest about $75 billion in expanding its data center capacity, underscoring the depth of its long-term bet on artificial intelligence.
Brin’s return to the top tier of global wealth is not just a story of rising stock prices. It is a reminder that in the modern economy, leadership in transformative technology can quietly redefine power, influence, and legacy. While others dominate headlines, the architects of foundational platforms are still shaping the future, one breakthrough at a time.
