Most Searched for Tech Billionaires in the US and What They Can Teach Us About Our Finances
Written by
J. Arky
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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According to a new study conducted by Digital Web Solutions, Elon Musk is the most popular “tech billionaire” in the U.S. based on the average monthly search volume for the top ten tech billionaires in the last 12 months was gathered using Google Keyword Planner.
Digital Web Solutions reported that Musk — with a net worth around $195 billion — leads the pack with 1.29 million average monthly searches. “The CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and now the driving force behind X (formerly Twitter), Musk’s influence in space exploration, electric vehicles and AI innovation keeps him constantly in the search bars of U.S. residents,” the report explains.
But what exactly does this say about the average consumer and their own personal finance habits related to wealth? Time to find out.
The Power of Inspired Ambition
Brian Haney, founder and CEO of The Haney Company, does not find this all that surprising given the fact that massive amounts of data continues to show how many Americans still find their financial situations to be challenging with money being the continued the number one stressor according to several surveys.
“Why do we flock to rich people? Simple: we are always looking for that one nugget that might unlock something for ourselves that would allow us to become wealthy or at least change the trajectory of our financial situation to reflect those that are far more affluent than we are,” Haney said. “We have “celebritized” financial success.”
People searching for Musk and other tech billionaires aspire to their extraordinary achievements, which encourages them to set bigger, more meaningful personal finance goals for themselves, according to Digital Web Solutions CEO Vaibhav Kakkar, whose agency conducted the study.
“These tech billionaires are always in the news for their business acumen and innovation. As a result, their followers are being vicariously mentored in different areas of professional and personal lives,” Kakkar explained.
The Belief We Are All Aspirational Wealth Creators
“People searching for tech billionaires like Elon Musk are most likely well-earning professionals building their investment portfolios or entrepreneurs starting with the aim of building substantial fortunes like their role models,” Kakkar said.
“Every average person today dares to dream big: earn so much or make their money work for them so they can retire early or enjoy more of life,” Kakkar added. “This is becoming increasingly possible with access to tech platforms and digital content that can enable them to do so.”
The Idolized Financial State of Success
Haney believed that the trend of searching for tech billionaires fills a void, “while we fail to address or continue to avoid doing the more basic, practical things needed to have true financial success.”
Yet, as Haney highlighted, the most financially-successful people he has had the privilege of working with all have one thing in common: they did the basics well.
“Very well in fact,” Haney added. “They spent well below their means, saved north of 20 to 30% of their income consistently and paid attention to their budget, cash-flow and planned pragmatically for their future.”
In the end, people might be searching for Musk and other tech billionaires as an easy way to manifest what they one day might become just through a few keystrokes. Unfortunately, Haney pointed out this is simply a dream — to reach the heights of these ultra wealthy people takes a lot more work than a Google search.
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