 "Boardrooms, billions, and AI: Global business leaders who headlined 2025")
In 2025, global business was less about new products and groundbreaking innovation and more about exorbitant pay, geopolitical expansion, policy navigations, and, of course, artificial intelligence (AI). A small group of executives and investors dominated that conversation because of the decisions they made, the positions they held, the products they promoted, or the pay they got.
From AI and geopolitics to corporate succession and market scepticism, these business leaders were the biggest newsmakers of 2025:
Elon Musk: The usual suspect
Elon Musk, the world's richest person with an estimated net worth of $638 billion, dominated headlines across multiple fronts.
For starters, electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc's shareholders approved a $1 trillion performance-based compensation package for him, the first of its kind in corporate history. This 10-year payout plan could make the leader of SpaceX, Tesla, X (formerly Twitter), the first-ever trillionaire. The package came as Tesla continued to grapple with slowing global EV demand, sustained pricing pressure, and intensifying competition from Chinese EV makers.
Musk’s influence also extended into the United States' (US) politics, with him heading the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) under President Donald Trump. However, he left the position in mid-2025.
He also remained in the news for his space exploration firm SpaceX, which remained critical to US and allied space programs, including the Axiom 4, which carried Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as the mission’s pilot.
Sam Altman: The poster child of AI
If AI was the dominant business theme of the year, Sam Altman was its most recognisable spokesperson. As chief executive officer (CEO) of OpenAI, Altman spent much of 2025 moving between boardrooms, parliaments, and regulatory hearings representing AI.
He drove OpenAI into a for-profit company called OpenAI Group through a major restructuring, rolling out enterprise tools, deepening integration into consumer products, and pursuing aggressive expansion.
Under his leadership, OpenAI generated about $13 billion in revenue until August, and Altman recently said the startup is on track to exceed $20 billion in annualised run-rate revenue this year, according to CNBC. In recent months, the company has announced more than $1.4 trillion in infrastructure deals to expand the data-centre capacity needed to support rising AI demand.
Jensen Huang: The backer of AI infra
Named Financial Times' 2025 Person of the Year, Jensen Huang-led Nvidia became the world's most valuable publicly listed company and the first to hit $5 trillion market capitalisation. As the co-founder and CEO of Nvidia, he achieved the feat by making the company's chips critical for global AI data-centre expansion.
Under Huang, Nvidia also made its largest-ever acquisition, buying AI chip startup Groq's assets for about $20 billion. Moreover, it also expanded investments across the AI ecosystem, backing firms such as Crusoe and Cohere and increasing its stake in CoreWeave. In September, Nvidia said it planned to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI and $5 billion in Intel.
Washington’s export controls on advanced semiconductors and Beijing’s push for domestic alternatives placed Nvidia at the intersection of trade policy and national security. Huang spent much of 2025 navigating diplomatic and commercial pressure, seeking to protect market access in China while complying with tightening regulations.
Larry Ellison: Bringing Oracle back to business
Oracle founder Larry Ellison returned to headlines in 2025 for his increased wealth and interests in media. For a brief period, market movements and asset valuations pushed him to the top of global rich lists, highlighting Oracle's recent deals to cement its spot in the AI revolution.
Ellison also made headlines for his and his family’s growing interests in the media sector. His son David Ellison’s company, Skydance Media, completed a landmark merger with Hollywood giant Paramount Global, making the Ellison family a significant stakeholder in the combined entity.
Paramount Skydance launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, tabling an offer valued at about $108 billion. Ellison has pledged a $40.4 billion personal guarantee to help finance the proposed transaction.
Michael Burry: The counter-narrative to AI optimism
While all of the people mentioned above embraced AI as a growth engine, Michael Burry stood apart. The investor, known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, disclosed positions betting over $1 billion against what he viewed as an overinflated AI trade.
Burry’s scepticism resonated in a year when valuations outpaced earnings and capital flooded into a narrow group of technology stocks. He argued that enthusiasm for AI masked structural risks, from margin compression to overcapacity in data centres.
Warren Buffett: An era draws to a close
Warren Buffett, also known as the 'Oracle of Omaha', will step down as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on December 31, closing a six-decade chapter in corporate history.
Buffett’s influence extended beyond returns. His emphasis on long-term ownership, decentralised management and ethical restraint shaped how investors judged businesses.
Buffett is also one of the biggest philanthropists in history, having already given away an estimated $32 billion to various causes and lives by the adage that "kindness is costless but also priceless." This year, he also converted shares worth another $1.3 billion and donated them to four family foundations.
He will be succeeded at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway by Greg Abel, whom Buffett has described as a "great manager," a "tireless worker," and an "honest communicator."