New Delhi: Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta Platforms has become the fifth wealthiest individual globally following a rise in Meta's stock price, leading to the most significant increase in his net worth compared to any other person this year, as reported by MarketWatch.


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During 2024, Mark Zuckerberg's net worth surged by $14.3 billion propelling him to the fifth position on Bloomberg's Billionaire Index. He now stands ahead of former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and behind Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates. (Also Read: Zoom Lays Off 150 Employees, Okta Slashes 400 Jobs)


Zuckerberg, who owns 13 percent stake in Meta, is now set to see his net worth boom even further in the coming days, on the back of a surge in shares in the social media company he first set up in 2004 when he was a student at Harvard University, MarketWatch reported. (Also Read: How Rs 3,000 Monthly SIP Transforms Into A Whopping Rs 1.5 Lakh Per Month? Check Here)


Shares in Meta increased 15 percent in post-market trading on Thursday, following the Facebook owner’s decision to start declaring its first ever dividend on the back of a sharp increase in the company’s revenues.


The surge in Meta’s share price in out-of-hours trading on Thursday saw the company’s market cap increase by more than $140 billion to $1.17 trillion, MarketWatch reported. Meta shares have increased by 14 percent in 2024 and by 109 per cent over the previous 12 months, with stock in the California company up 933 per cent since Facebook’s initial public offering in 2012.


Facebook changed its name to Meta Platforms in October 2021. (With IANS Inputs)