Here is the list of the Top 10 most powerful people of 2022 across the globe

Xi Jinping

President of the People’s Republic of China since 2013, Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician. He is regarded as the most powerful person on the planet, even though the western world regards him as a tyrant or authoritarian leader, citing increased mass surveillance, a decrease in human rights, and news, Internet, and event censorship. On the international stage, he portrays China as more assertive and patriotic.

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, is the world’s second most powerful person. He is the president of Russia since 2012. He was a former intelligence officer. From 1999 to 2000, and again from 2008 to 2012, he served as Prime Minister of Russia. Amid the current Russia-Ukraine crisis, Putin issued a surprise announcement on February 24th ordering a military operation in eastern Ukraine.

Joe Biden

Joe Biden, the current president of the United States of America, is one of the world’s most influential politicians. He succeeded Donald Trump as the 46th President of the United States in 2020.
From 1973 through 2009, he served as the Democratic Party’s 47th vice president, representing Delaware as a senator. He is the United States’ oldest elected president, and the first to have a female and African/Asian-American vice president, Kamala Harris.

Angela Markel

Angela Merkel is a German politician who has been the country’s chancellor since 2005, making her the world’s most powerful woman. Before becoming chancellor, she was the head of the opposition from 2002 until 2005. From 2000 through 2018, Merkel was the head of the Christian Democratic Union. She is Germany’s first female chancellor and is largely regarded as the European Union’s de facto head.

Jeff Bezos

In 2022, Jeff Bezos is the first American entrepreneur to appear on the list of the world’s most influential individuals. He is the founder and CEO of Amazon, a multibillion-dollar technology firm. According to Forbes, his projected net worth is $177 billion as of 2021, making him the world’s wealthiest and most powerful person of the past year.
With $400 billion+ in sales, Amazon is now the world’s largest online retailer. Due to his passion for space travel, Bezos launched Blue Origin, a suborbital spaceflight services company, in the year 2000.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis is the sovereign of the Vatican City State and the head of the Catholic Church. He is one of the most well-known international leaders, with a global following. He is the first pope to be a member of the Jesus Society.
In his younger years, he worked as a bouncer and a cleaner in Argentina. Later, he received pharmaceutical training and worked as a technician in a food science laboratory.
When he was Pope, Francis upheld the Catholic Church’s traditional stances on clerical celibacy, female ordination, and abortion.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur and computer programmer who co-founded Microsoft, the world’s largest personal computer software firm. Apart from technology, the American business billionaire, has a wide range of interests. He is also an author, landowner, and philanthropist, with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charity, carrying out various charity activities.

Gates net worth is estimated to be $133.8 billion as of March 2022. He created his first computer software application at the age of thirteen.

Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud

Mohammed bin Salman, often known as MBS, is a Saudi Arabian politician who serves as both the country’s crown prince and deputy prime minister. He is also the Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, the Chairman of the Council for Political and Security Affairs, and the Defense Minister.

MBS is frequently referred to as the “power behind” his father, King Salman’s throne. MBS was appointed in his place by King Salman in 2017 after his nephew Muhammad bin Nayef was removed from the position of the crown prince. MBS was successful in implementing several major internal reforms, including rules limiting religious police powers, lifting the prohibition on female drivers, and weakening the male-guardianship system.

Narendra Modi

Narendra Modi is India’s 14th Prime Minister and the world’s largest democracy’s current leader. As a result, he is the world’s most popular prime minister. From 2001 to 2014, he served as Gujarat’s chief minister. He is a member of the Uttar Pradesh parliament for the Varanasi constituency.
He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has the highest primary membership in the world. He is a registered member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and a member of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) (RSS).

Jerome Powell

Jerome Powell is the head of the Federal Reserve and an American economic expert and lawyer. After then-President Trump did not extend Janet Yellen’s tenure, Powell became the world’s top central banker in 2018.

He is the guy in command of the strong Federal Reserve, which controls the printing press and is also in charge of US monetary policy, which affects practically every developed and developing countries in the globe.

The Chief Executive Officers of the foundation, Mark Suzman, and the operating and legal chief, Connie Collingsworth, will be in charge of leading the search and shall develop recommendations to ascertain the number of trustees and formulating the selection process, according to a statement on Wednesday. The announcement of new additions is scheduled for January 2022.

The soon-to-be-divorced couple will be committing a fresh $15 billion to the organization, according to the statement.  The fresh money is earmarked for the foundation’s endowment that stood at around $50 billion before the announcement, having given away about the same amount during the last two decades.

“These new resources and the evolution of the foundation’s governance will sustain this ambitious mission and vital work for years to come,” Bill Gates said.

Melinda iterated her commitment to the role of co-chair. These “governance changes bring more diverse perspectives and experience to the foundation’s leadership.” she said.

1. Microsoft

Bill Gates is the name associated most popularly with Microsoft as he was its co-founder. In 2020, Bill Gates stepped down from the chair and now has only a 1.34% share in the stake. He now serves as a technical advisor and has relatively little to do with daily operations. Satya Nadella is the current CEO of Microsoft.

2. Berkshire Hathway 

Though the company is owned by Warren Buffet but his close friend, Bill Gates has 7.8% of shares here. Berkshire Hathaway owned the largest holding of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation until he resigned as its trustee.

3. Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts

Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts is an international luxury hotel and resort company that was founded in 1961 and now has more than 100 hotels and resorts around the world. Gates together with Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia own 95% of the company in shares after a $3.8 billion investment in 2007.

4. Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railways provides integrated transportation services in trucking, warehousing, and freight forwarding other than rail. Yes, it’s true that Bill Gates has shares in Canadian National Railway too. In fact, Bill Gates is the largest single shareholder of this company at approximately 10.04%.

5. Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar is a manufacturer and designer of heavy vehicles used in the energy, mining, and agriculture industries. Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation owns a major part of Caterpillar Inc which also sells financial products such as insurance through a global dealer network.

Apart from these major 5 companies, Bill Gates also have certain shares in Alphabet Inc., Coca-Cola Femsa SAB de CV, Grupo Televisa SAB, Crown Castle International Corp., FedEx, Walmart, and others.

Buffett, in 2006, had promised to give away his Berkshire shares as annual gifts to  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, Sherwood Foundation, Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and NoVo Foundation. 

Speaking on the matter Buffett said, “Today is a milestone for me,” Buffett said in a statement. “In 2006, I pledged to distribute all of my Berkshire Hathaway shares — more than 99% of my net worth — to philanthropy. With today’s $4.1 billion distribution, I’m halfway there.”

Buffett’s resignation comes in the face of a crisis at the Gates Foundation with the divorce of its two founders announced in May this year. Commenting on his resignation, Buffett said, “For years I have been a trustee — an inactive trustee at that — of only one recipient of my funds, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMG). I am now resigning from that post, just as I have done at all corporate boards other than Berkshire’s”

According to FactSet, Buffett, the owner of 39% of Berkshire’s Class A shares, shared that 16 of his annual contributions to the five foundations amounted to $41 billion when disbursed. 

All great things come to an end, but in this case, it seems that the end appeared quite sooner than the beginning.

Let’s have a look, at some very popular star couples, who took the world by shock and surprise, as they announced their separation this year.

#1 Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

After allegations of Kanye cheating on Kim with Irina Shayk and social media controversies regarding Kim and their daughter North, the couple finally filed for divorce on February 19, 2021, after being married for almost seven long years, since May 2014.

The two are currently co-parenting their four kids together namely, North, Chicago, Saint and Psalm.

#2 La La Anthony and Carmelo Anthony

The actress and NBA player filed for divorce on June 17, 2021, after being married since July 2010, and engaged in 2004.

According to ‘Us’, “They have been separated for a while now and will remain friends. They both want to make sure that the divorce goes as smoothly as possible for their son”.

#3 Liam Payne and Maya Henry

Former ‘One Direction’ band member got engaged to Henry in August 2020, only to end up splitting a year after, in June 2021.

During a podcast with ‘The Diary of a CEO’, the singer revealed, “I feel like more than anything at this point, I’m more disappointed in myself that I keep on hurting people. That annoys me. I’ve just not been very good at relationships.”

#4 Matthew Perry and Molly Hurwitz

Well, it seems like our funny ‘Chandler Bing’ from the iconic ‘Friends’ doesn’t do too well when it comes to dating and relationships, as the actor’s romance with his beau lasted for a very short while.

Matthew parted ways with his talent manager girlfriend Molly, on June 2, 2021, only half a month post his proposal.

#5 Bill Gates and Melinda Gates

After a long long marriage since 1994, the duo decided to go on separate ways, on May 3, 2021, announcing their split via Twitter, that read, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a believer in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”

#6 Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares

‘Baywatch’ fame and model girlfriend got their news of separation made public, via the actor’s friend, Kyle Sandilands, who announced on her show ‘Kyle and Jackie O Show’, “It’s only recent, but not, like, yesterday recent. But they’ve gone their separate ways. No drama, but it’s done.”

#7 Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

The ‘Ain’t Your Mama’ singer and baseball player husband announced their separation on April 15, 2021, calling themselves to be “better as friends.”

In conversation with ‘Today’, the duo revealed, “We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”

#8 Saweetie and Quavo

After dating for three years, the rapper announced her split with beau on March 19, 2021, via an emotional tweet, that read, “I’m single. I’ve endured too much betrayal and hurt behind the scenes for a false narrative to be circulating that degrades my character. Presents don’t band aid scars and the love isn’t real when the intimacy is given to other women.”

She further tweeted, “I emotionally checked out a long time ago and have walked away with a deep sense of peace and freedom. Excited for this new chapter of elevation.”

#9 Kelly Mi Li and Andrew Gray

The ‘Bling Empire’ fame revealed her breakup with boyfriend Andrew, on March 9, 2021, via her Instagram post, captioned as, “Over the past 5 and half years, Andrew and I have shared some incredible times together. I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for him and will always cherish the memories we made. However, we have made the difficult decision to officially separate at this point in our lives. We are both so grateful to have experienced a relationship that allowed us to grow and learn so much. Andrew and I plan to continue working on becoming the best versions of ourselves individually.”

#10 Connor Trott and Mackenzie Dipman

Taking to Instagram on March 6, 2021, the ‘Love Island’ fame couple announced their breakup, writing, “Some of you have been wondering about us and our relationship, so we want to help you to understand where we are right now. We are both young and in the early stages of our careers, and sadly those careers are keeping us in two different places. One of us is in Pittsburgh and the other is in Tucson, and neither one of us will be able to move anytime in the near future.”

They added, “So over the last couple of weeks we have started having some difficult conversations about our future. Ultimately we both realized that our lives are moving in different directions. We have both made commitments to cities that are over 2,000 miles apart. This was not a decision we took lightly. We both have so much love for each other and had hopes that we could make this work, but relationships are all about timing, and this is just not our time.”

After the establishment of Microsoft, when the company was up and running, he used to memorize his employees license plate numbers to monitor their ins and outs, a habit he had to let go of when the workforce under him expanded- he said in an interview.

In his younger years, he was quite a reckless driver. An avid collector of Porches, he used to drive them with plenty of rigor and was charged with speeding tickets many times.

He has a very good sense of humor. He’s been to late-night shows as a celebrity guest speaker and left the audience along with the host in quite a fit of laughter.

For all his accomplishments in the very many computer languages, he is fluent in only English when it comes to the human world, he says he’s always regretted the fact.

Afterward, Microsoft board members hired a law firm to look into the woman’s accusations and claimed the relationship inappropriate. By early 2020 “some board members decided it was no longer suitable for Mr. Gates to sit as a director at the software company he started and led for decades,” added the Wall Street Journal’s report.

“Mr. Gates resigned before the board’s investigation was completed and before the full board could make a formal decision on the matter,” sources told the Journal.

In a strange turn of events, Gates had just been re-elected to the board in December 2019, three months before his resignation on March 13, 2020.

Bridgitt Arnold, a spokeswoman for Bill Gates, claimed in a statement, “There was an affair almost 20 years ago which ended amicably. Gates’ decision to transition off the board was in no way related to this matter. In fact, he had expressed an interest in spending more time on his philanthropy starting several years earlier.”

Earlier this month, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, announced divorce after a marriage of 27 years.

A security filing says the firm transferred more than 14 million shares of Canadian National Railway which represent 3% of the company’s outstanding stocks and were transferred to Melinda on the same day of the separation news. Another filing claims more than 2.9 million shares of AutoNation, an American automotive retailer based in Fort Lauderdale which represents 2% of the outstanding stock were also transferred to her on that day. The former shares according to Wednesday’s prices are worth more than $1.5 billion whereas the latter ones are around $300 million.

One of the world’s richest couple, they never signed a prenuptial agreement for splitting up their $130 billion worth of property and possessions but rather signed a separation contract. Just after a few hours after Bill’s public announcement on Twitter regarding the divorce, there was no information regarding the financial aftermath that would follow proceeding what could be one of the world’s most high profile divorces.

Things that are yet to be public are the splitting up of the couple’s massive 240,000 acres of landholdings across the U.S. making them the country’s biggest landowner. Secondly, the terms and conditions regarding the separation contract signed by the multi-billionaire couple are also unknown.

Bill Gates announced in a tweet on Monday that he and his wife Melinda Gates would be splitting after 27 years of marriage, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”

Bill has less than 2% of Microsoft’s shares to his name worth more than $26 billion, according to FactSet, but at one point, staying loyal to their promise to philanthropy and uplifting the needy, it was decided among the couple to move the money to the foundation. A tax filing claims that today the foundation has over $51 billion in assets.

Bill never revealed in the public his hand to be the dominating one over the business’s assets and was rather always appreciative of his counterparts’ strengths and abilities he did not particularly have. In a Netflix documentary in 2019, he said, “In the case of Melinda, she is a truly equal partner. She’s a lot like me in that she is optimistic and she is interested in science. She is better with people than I am. She’s a tiny bit less hardcore about knowing, you know, immunology than I am.”

The tweet read, “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”

pic.twitter.com/padmHSgWGc

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2021

Despite the end of their marriage, Gates said they would continue to collaborate on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. They both have done phenomenal work on grounds of education, gender equality, and health care. The pair have also invested vast sums of money in the search for a coronavirus vaccine and have donated to COVID-19 treatment research.

Bill Gates led Microsoft till the year 2000 along with founding partner Paul Allen, afterward, he left Steve Ballmer in charge. He stepped down from Microsoft’s board because of the rising COVID-19 situation last year and decided to give more time to the Bill and Melinda gates foundation launched in the year 2000.

Melinda Gates was marketing manager at Microsoft that’s when they met at an official dinner for the employees in the year 1987. Seven years later in 1994, the couple got married in Hawaii.

The Summit saw governments, business leaders, and financial institutions identifying ways to work together at a time when the need for international collaboration and policy implementation to accelerate clean energy transitions is critical.

“It is time for the world to move from a decade of climate change deliberation to a decade of delivery. Today’s Summit clearly showed willingness from governments, civil society and businesses to work together in each emitting sector to make this happen and keep the 1.5-degree target within reach,” Alok Sharma, the COP26 President, said, ” By working together, we can accelerate progress, create jobs and prosperity, and protect our planet for future generations.”

Ahead of the COP26 in November, the Net Zero Summit, co-hosted by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and COP26 President Alok Sharma, brought together high-level representatives of energy and climate ministries from 40 countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and many others.

The top international energy and climate leaders from more than 40 countries took part in the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit today to identify how to work together to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Seven Key Principles were presented at the Summit by the IEA to guide the implementation of the net-zero commitments. The principles found support in many of the IEA member governments. The principles cover essential areas such as the need for sustainable recoveries from the Covid-19 crisis, the critical importance of implementable emissions reduction roadmaps for the current decade, and the development of stronger mechanisms for international coordination to accelerate innovation and deployment in each major emitting sector of the global economy, as well as many others.

“No country can do this alone. If we want the transition to clean energy to happen quickly, the world’s major economies have to work much more effectively and closely together,” Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director, said in a statement.

To get to net-zero emissions globally by 2050, leaders from around the world must work together. It’s encouraging to see governments, business leaders, and financial institutions committing to a successful COP26 in Glasgow later this year. https://t.co/9bLQJvfZIR

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 9, 2021

Soaring Eagle Acquisition Corp is also comprehended for a potential business combination. The deal could be public as early as this month, the source said on Friday.

Soaring Eagle preferred silence on the matter.

Bill Gates supports Boston-based Ginkgo, Cascade Investment, private investment firm, Cascade Investment, and hedge fund Viking Global receiving a $1.1 billion loan from the U.S. government in November for COVID-19 testing and production of raw materials for therapies that may help address future pandemics.

Sloan, a former chief executive officer of Metro Goldwyn Mayer, and Sagansky’s former SPACs took gaming firms DraftKings Inc and Skillz Inc public.

When Bill Gates was asked for his views on this catastrophic event he said deaths during storms were preventable, the state’s decision to not weatherize its energy was the fault.

Gates claimed America’s dependence on renewable energy sources isn’t high enough to worry about their stability the problem was natural gas plants that were not weatherized.

“This is not because of renewable dependency,” Gates told media. “This is natural gas plants, largely, that weren’t weatherized. They could’ve been. It costs money, and the trade-off was made, and it didn’t work out, and it’s tragic that it leads to people dying.”

Bill Gates was once again pointing at climate change as the root of causing extreme weather in Texas. He stated green energy can save from worse situations foreseen in the future.

“It is ironic to blame renewables and not realize that we are going to have to be dealing with this unless we get the whole world to reduce emissions,” Gates said.

He also spoke about COVID-19  climate change and the need for innovation in order to lower carbon emissions. Natural ecosystems and the ability to farm in some parts of the world will be destroyed, leading to war and instability, he said.

Gates said many people aren’t aware of the emissions generated by manufacturing and farming, and that we need to commit to finding unique approaches to meet market demand for these industries.

“2050 is literally the soonest it could get done given the scale and the number of things you have to change,” Gates said.

Power is returning across Texas and temperatures are set to rise but some 13 million people are still facing difficulties accessing clean water.

Here are the top 10 richest Americans on Earth who got wealthier amid pandemic

10. Alice Walton

Age: 70

Net Worth: $62.3 B

Source of Income: Walmart

Alice Walton is the daughter of Walmart’s founder, Sam Walton and got her fortune in inheritance. She is the richest woman in the world and along with her brothers, holds more than 50% shares of Walmart.Inc. Unlike her brothers Rob and Jim Walton, she has an inclination towards art and opened a museum in Bentonville, which is her hometown.

9. Sergey Brin

Age: 47

Net Worth: $65.7 B

Source of Income: Google

Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google and its parent company Alphabet. Brin is originally from Russia who moved to the USA in 1979 and now has a US citizenship. In 2019, he left the position of president at Alphabet but, retains his controlling shares in the company and continues to be a board member.

8. Larry Page

Age: 47

Net Worth: $67.5 B

Source of Income: Google

Larry Page is the other co-founder of the tech giant Google and ALphabet. Following his partner’s steps, Page stepped down as the CEO of Alphabet and remains a controlling shareholder and board member.

7. Elon Musk

Age: 49

Net Worth: $68 B

Source of Income: Tesla, SpaceX

The revolutionary entrepreneur, designer, engineer and philanthropist is famous for founding and co-founding many ventures. From SpaceX rocket launches, his Cybertruck design to ‘X Æ A-12’, he never fails to grab the attention of the world. With a fortune of more than $68 B, he’s one of the top 10 richest Americans on Earth.

6. Steve Ballmer

Age: 64

Net Worth: $69 B

Source of Income: Microsoft

After serving as the CEO of Microsoft for 14 years, Steve Ballmer now owns a Basketball team (Los Angeles Clippers) which competes in NBA. The Stanford drop out became a philanthropist in 2014 and in 2018, he invested in Social Solutions which develops software for government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

5. Larry Ellison

Age: 76

Net Worth: $72 B

Source of Income: Oracle Corporation

Larry Ellison is the co-founder, chief technology officer and executive chairman of Oracle Corporation and was listed as the fourth-richest person by Forbes last year. Ellison stepped down from the CEO’s post at Oracle, in 2014 and owns around 35.4% shares in the company. He also became the board member of Tesla after purchasing 3 million shares in the company in 2018.

4. Warren Buffet

Age: 90

Net Worth: $73.5 B

Source of Income: Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffet is arguably the most successful investor in the world, no wonder why he is called “Oracle of Omaha”.  Buffet who bought his first stock at 11 and started filing taxes at 13, now runs Berkshire Hathaway which is the parent company of more than 60 companies. He has donated more than $41 B to charitable causes and has announced to give away his 99% wealth to such causes.

3. Mark Zuckerberg

Age: 36

Net Worth: $85 B

Source of Income: Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, one of the co-founders of social media giant Facebook which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, was the youngest billionaire in the world at 23. But, obviously, as everyone knows he was dethroned by 21-year-old Kylie Jenner. Zuckerberg and his wife have also pledged to donate 99% of their Facebook shares during their lifetime.

2. Bill Gates

Age: 64

Net Worth: $111 B

Source of Income: Microsoft

Microsoft’s co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is as famous for his charitable work as he is for Microsoft. Over the year, Gates has donated Microsoft stocks worth $35.8 B to his charitable foundation and currently owns slightly more than 1% in his stake in Microsoft. In 2020, Gates exited Microsoft’s board and runs the largest private charitable foundation in the world along with his wife Melinda Gates. The foundation has announced to spend around $300 million on coronavirus vaccine development and funding its treatment.

1. Jeff Bezos

Age: 56

Net Worth: $117 B

Source of Income: Amazon

Even after losing a quarter of Amazon stake to his wife MacKenzie due to their divorce in 2019, Jeff Bezos continues to be the richest man on Earth. Bezos is currently the CEO of Amazon and has 11.1% stake in the company. He also owns Blue Origin which is a private rocket development company and The Washington Post.