NEW YORK: The price of entry to America’s richest is now $4.4 billion, with AI and technology driving a new wave of wealth.
That figure marks a record high for the Forbes 400, which ranks the wealthiest Americans. The cutoff is $600 million higher than last year and $2.7 billion above the level a decade ago, according to Forbes.
The 400 people on this year’s list have a combined fortune of $8 trillion, up from $6.6 trillion in 2025. Forbes based its wealth estimates on stock prices and other data as of Sept. 4, 2026.
Despite the higher barrier, 34 newcomers made the 2026 Forbes 400, compared with 14 last year.
It was the third-biggest year for new members in the past two decades, behind 2007, when 45 newcomers joined, and 2021, when 44 made the list.
The new members have a combined estimated wealth of $321 billion, nearly three times the total of last year’s newcomers. Their ages range from 30 to 76.
Technology accounts for much of the new wealth. Fifteen of the 34 newcomers come from the technology sector, with AI, robotics, software and related businesses driving much of their fortunes.
OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman is the richest newcomer, with an estimated net worth of $25.5 billion. He ranks 45th among the wealthiest people in the United States.
Brockman’s fortune is largely tied to his stake in OpenAI. During a legal dispute involving the company, he disclosed that his stake was worth more than $20 billion.
Robotics entrepreneur Brett Adcock follows with an estimated $23.4 billion. His company, Figure, which develops AI-powered robots, was valued at $39 billion by private investors in 2025.
Six Anthropic cofounders Daniela Amodei, Dario Amodei, Tom Brown, Jack Clark, Jared Kaplan and Sam McCandlish each have an estimated fortune of $15.5 billion. Together, they account for about $93 billion in wealth.
The group left OpenAI in 2021 and later founded Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI chatbot.
AI has also reshaped the age profile of the Forbes 400.
Steven Hao, cofounder and chief technology officer of Cognition, is the youngest newcomer at 30, with an estimated fortune of $5.8 billion.
Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus and defense technology company Anduril, is worth an estimated $5.9 billion at age 33.
Forbes said 10 members of the 2026 list are under 40, compared with four last year. Seven of the under-40 newcomers built their fortunes through AI-related businesses.
Several newcomers also benefited from investments linked to SpaceX.
PayPal cofounder and venture capitalist Luke Nosek is worth an estimated $5.5 billion, including a stake in SpaceX valued at about $4.8 billion.
Health technology entrepreneur Keith Dunleavy also joined the list after his investment firm backed SpaceX before its public offering.
Antonio Gracias, whose investment firm Valor Equity Partners was an early investor in several companies linked to Elon Musk, including SpaceX, has an estimated fortune of $17.1 billion.
Technology was the biggest source of new fortunes, but the newcomers also came from a wide range of industries.
Peter Mallouk, CEO and majority owner of wealth management firm Creative Planning, joined the list with an estimated $16.5 billion.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has an estimated fortune of $7.3 billion after decades at investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
Other newcomers include Mike Hollingshead, whose wealth comes from concrete; Robert Clark, who made his fortune in construction; and David MacNeil, founder of automotive accessories company WeatherTech.
Sports ownership also produced new members.
Marc Stad, founder of Dragoneer Investment Group, joined the list with an estimated $5.3 billion after leading a $4.5 billion deal for control of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
Cal McNair entered the ranking with $7.7 billion after inheriting an 80% stake in the NFL’s Houston Texans following the death of his mother, Janice McNair.
Three members of the Medline founding family also joined the list after the medical supplies company went public in 2025. Charlie Mills is worth an estimated $11 billion, while Andy Mills and Wendy Abrams are worth $5.5 billion and $4.7 billion, respectively.
Six people who previously appeared on the Forbes 400 also returned to the list in 2026.
They include investors Clifford Asness, Stephen Mandel Jr., Daniel Sundheim and Pablo Legorreta, semiconductor executive Weili Dai and U-Haul Chairman E. Joe Shoen.
The latest Forbes 400 reflects how quickly fortunes can change as technology valuations, financial markets and major private investments reshape the wealth landscape.
