Zuckerberg ‘makes’ $26.7bn in 1 day 

Mark Zuckerberg’s wealth surged by $26.7 billion on Thursday, a leap that ranks among the most significant one-day gains ever seen by a tech leader.

The jump came on the heels of Meta Platforms’ blockbuster second-quarter results, which sent its stock to an all-time high. With the rally, the Meta co-founder and CEO now holds an estimated net worth of $266.7 billion, according to Forbes’ real-time tracker, placing him third among the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Owning roughly 13% of Meta’s shares, Zuckerberg’s fortune grew more than 11% in just a single trading session.

For the quarter ending in June, Meta reported $47.52 billion in revenue—a 22% increase year over year—far exceeding Wall Street expectations. Earnings per share climbed to $7.14, well above analyst estimates.

Daily active users reached 3.48 billion across Meta’s family of apps, reflecting strong engagement despite fierce competition from platforms like TikTok.

On a call with analysts, Zuckerberg credited the performance to Meta’s use of artificial intelligence.“AI allowed us to drive more advertising revenue and deliver better experiences across our platforms,” he said.

Meta’s head of global business, Nicola Mendelsohn, echoed the sentiment in a LinkedIn post, calling AI the driver of “greater efficiency and gains across our ads system.”

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Looking ahead, Meta raised its third-quarter revenue forecast to between $49.5 billion and $50.5 billion and increased its full-year capital expenditures projection to $72 billion, reinforcing its focus on AI and metaverse projects.

A surprising boost came from hardware sales. The company’s Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, developed with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, have sold over 2 million units since their October 2023 launch. The glasses enable users to take photos, make calls, and interact with Meta AI.

EssilorLuxottica reported that sales of the glasses more than tripled in the first half of 2025 compared with last year. Building on the success, Meta introduced a new Oakley model in July.

Zuckerberg, who launched Facebook in 2004 as a college networking project, has spent the past two decades transforming it into a tech powerhouse encompassing Instagram, WhatsApp, and virtual reality.

In 2021, the company rebranded to Meta to emphasize its ambitions in virtual and augmented reality. While Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have pledged to give away 99% of their Meta shares over their lifetimes, his wealth continues to grow—bolstered by a quarter that cemented Meta’s status as one of the world’s most dominant technology companies.