Business & Finance

Zhang Yiming regains top spot on Hurun's China rich list

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming reached a record $100 billion net worth, largely on AI gains, Hurun reported.

Updated Oct 27, 2026 · 10:24 UTC2 reports

The short version

ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming reclaimed the top spot on the Hurun Research Institute's annual China rich list.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Hurun put his net worth at a record $100 billion, up 43%, and its chairman said nearly all of the gain came from AI.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Bottled water magnate Zhong Shanshan fell to second with $61 billion, while CATL chairman Robin Zeng ranked third.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Hurun said it cross-checked its data with entrepreneurs, regulators and industry experts, but it acknowledged limitations in the list.[Associated Press · CBS News]

Zhang Yiming ranked first on Hurun's China rich list with $100 billion, up 43%.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Hurun chairman Rupert Hoogewerf said nearly all of Zhang's gain was tied to AI, and the figure is a record for China's richest person.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Zhong Shanshan fell to second place with $61 billion, down 23%, and CATL chairman Robin Zeng ranked third.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Hurun counted a record 1,529 people with more than 5 billion yuan, up 6.6% from last year.[Associated Press · CBS News]
The number of U.S. dollar billionaires in China rose by 155 to 1,176.[Associated Press · CBS News]
Hurun said it cross-checked its information with entrepreneurs, regulators, industry experts and others to compile the list.[Associated Press · CBS News]

Hurun acknowledged limitations in compiling the list, but the provided reporting does not specify what those limitations are.[Associated Press · CBS News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.