Zuckerberg’s Fortune Soars by $26.7 Billion as Meta Hits All-Time High
Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth surged by a staggering $26.7 billion on Thursday—one of the largest single-day gains ever recorded by a tech executive—after Meta Platforms posted record-breaking second-quarter earnings that sent its stock to an all-time high.
With this massive jump, Zuckerberg’s fortune now stands at an estimated $266.7 billion, according to *Forbes*’ real-time billionaire tracker, solidifying his position as the world’s third-richest person. The Meta CEO and co-founder owns about 13% of the company’s shares, which gained more than 11% in just one trading session.
Meta reported $47.52 billion in revenue for the quarter ending June 2025, marking a 22% year-on-year increase and far surpassing Wall Street forecasts. Earnings per share reached $7.14, well above analyst expectations, while daily active users across Meta’s family of apps climbed to 3.48 billion.
Read Also:
Nigeria Pushes Blue Economy Agenda with Seabed Mapping, Hydrography Initiatives
During a post-earnings call with investors, Zuckerberg credited artificial intelligence for Meta’s robust performance, saying, “AI allowed us to drive more advertising revenue and deliver better experiences across our platforms.” Nicola Mendelsohn, Meta’s head of global business, echoed this in a LinkedIn post, calling AI the force behind “greater efficiency and gains across our ads system.”
Meta also raised its third-quarter revenue guidance to between $49.5 billion and $50.5 billion and increased its full-year capital expenditure target to $72 billion—highlighting its deepening investments in AI and the metaverse.
Hardware sales provided an unexpected boost to the quarter. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, produced in collaboration with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, have now surpassed 2 million units sold since their October 2023 launch. The AI-powered glasses allow users to take photos, make calls, and interact with Meta AI. EssilorLuxottica reported that sales tripled in the first half of 2025 compared to last year. In July, Meta launched a new Oakley-branded model to build on the momentum.
Zuckerberg, who launched Facebook in 2004 from his college dorm room, has spent the last two decades growing it into one of the world’s most influential tech conglomerates, overseeing platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR. The company rebranded as Meta in 2021 to reflect its broader ambitions in augmented and virtual reality.
Despite having pledged—alongside his wife, Priscilla Chan—to donate 99% of their Meta shares over their lifetimes, Zuckerberg’s fortune continues to rise, buoyed by Meta’s dominance and its sustained growth across core platforms and emerging technologies.
