By Alimat Aliyeva

The founder of ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, 41-year-old Zhang Yiming, has topped the ranking of the richest people in China, with a fortune of $57.5 billion. ByteDance has revolutionized the social media landscape with TikTok, making Zhang a prominent figure in the global tech industry.

In second place is Ma Huateng, also known as Pony Ma, the founder of the telecommunications giant Tencent. His fortune is estimated at $56.6 billion. Tencent is the owner of WeChat, one of the most widely used messaging apps in the world, with over 1.3 billion active users.

The third spot is occupied by Zhong Shanshan, the 70-year-old founder of Nongfu Spring, a major Chinese bottled water producer. His wealth is valued at $54.1 billion. Known as the "Lone Wolf" of Chinese billionaires, Zhong’s success stems from both the bottled water brand and his controlling stake in Wantai BioPharm, a leading health and vaccine company.

Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man and the head of India’s conglomerate Reliance Industries, saw his fortune drop to $90.9 billion due to business challenges. Just last year, his net worth exceeded $120 billion, and he is now ranked 17th on the global list, down from higher positions in recent years.

Globally, the richest person in the world remains Elon Musk, with a staggering fortune of $336 billion. Musk’s wealth comes primarily from his ownership of Tesla, SpaceX, and other ventures. His innovations in electric vehicles, space exploration, and renewable energy have placed him at the pinnacle of global wealth.