Why Nvidia’s Jensen Huang isn’t among the very richest despite leading the world’s most valuable company

By Phong Ngo September 13, 2025 | 02:41 am PT

Although Nvidia is the world’s most valuable company, CEO Jensen Huang ranks only 10th among the richest, as his wealth has been limited by share dilution and stock sales.

The 62-year-old’s wealth has surged by more than a quarter, or about US$29 billion, since the start of 2025, according to CNBC. As of Sept. 8, Huang’s net worth stood at $147 billion, placing him just behind Warren Buffett on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Buffett’s $148 billion fortune comes even though Berkshire Hathaway is valued at about a quarter of Nvidia’s market capitalization of over $4 trillion, Business Insider reported. Eighth place on the index belongs to Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, who has $164 billion despite the luxury group being valued at under $300 billion, or less than one-tenth of the U.S. chipmaker.

Jensen Huang, co-founder of Nvidia. Photo from X

Huang, who cofounded Nvidia in 1993 and has served as CEO ever since, has seen his wealth constrained by dilution. Before Nvidia’s IPO in 1999, he owned 12.8% of the company, a stake that would be worth more than $500 billion today. His ownership fell to 9.9% in 1999, 7.1% in 2003, and 4.4% in 2010. Since 2020, it has stabilized at between 3.5% and 4%, filings show.

By comparison, Buffett owns about 14% of Berkshire, Arnault controls roughly half of LVMH, and the world’s richest man Elon Musk holds around 13% of Tesla and 42% of SpaceX.

Huang’s stake has declined largely because Nvidia has issued vast amounts of stock to compensate employees. The company reported $14 billion in unearned stock-based compensation as of July 27.

Many technology firms grant equity to employees to incentivize them to grow the company and remain with it. Huang told a panel hosted by the All-In podcast’s venture capitalists:

"I’ve created more billionaires on my management team than any CEO in the world," adding that he personally reviews pay and increases operating expenses each year to ensure employees are well compensated, according to Fortune.

Huang has also reduced his holdings through stock sales. In March, he announced plans to sell up to six million Nvidia shares by the end of the year. His first sale in June generated about $15 million, as per CNBC. In 2024, he sold about $700 million worth of shares through a prearranged plan.