Sergey Brin overtook Oracle founder Larry Ellison on Tuesday to become the world’s third-richest person, ranking just behind fellow Google cofounder Larry Page, as Alphabet shares continued to rally on growing optimism around the company’s artificial intelligence business.
Key facts
Alphabet shares rose 2.2% to about $325.75 shortly after markets opened Tuesday, following a 6.3% gain on Monday and a more than 75% surge since hitting a low below $188 in August.
Oracle shares fell more than 4.6% to roughly $191, extending the stock’s losses to about 11% over the past week.
Alphabet’s latest gains followed a report late Monday that Meta is considering using Google’s AI chips for its data centers and cloud infrastructure, according to The Information, potentially challenging Nvidia’s dominance in the market.
Neither Meta nor Google immediately responded to requests for comment.
Forbes valuation
Brin now has an estimated net worth of $245.3 billion, placing him third on the global rich list, just ahead of Ellison, whose fortune is valued at $239.7 billion. Page, who surpassed Ellison a day earlier, ranks second with an estimated net worth of $264.4 billion. Over the past two trading sessions, Page and Brin added a combined $35.2 billion to their fortunes, with $18.3 billion added to Page’s net worth and $16.9 billion to Brin’s.
Brin owns fewer of Alphabet’s supervoting Class B shares than Page, reflecting his more active history of selling stock. He has also donated millions of dollars’ worth of Alphabet and Tesla shares to support research into Parkinson’s disease.
What to watch for
Whether Alphabet overtakes Apple in market value. Apple, currently the world’s second most valuable company behind Nvidia, has a market capitalization of just over $4.1 trillion. Alphabet is valued at just under $4 trillion in early trading, and its shares would need to rise above $331.40 for the company to surpass the $4 trillion threshold. If it does, Alphabet would become only the fourth company in history to reach that milestone, joining Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia.
Key background
Alphabet’s rally over recent months comes even as some investors warn that enthusiasm around AI has inflated technology stock valuations. Confidence in the Google parent was bolstered by news that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway took a nearly $5 billion stake in the company, a rare move into big tech beyond its long standing investment in Apple.
Alphabet also recently unveiled its latest AI model, Gemini 3, earning praise from leaders across the industry, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI CEO Elon Musk. At the same time, Oracle shares have slid as more investors reportedly bet against Ellison’s firm amid broader skepticism surrounding AI driven valuations.
