# Credit Crunched Tycoons America's 25 Biggest Billionaire Losers of 2008 Lost $167 This Year By Bianca | Published 2025-08-13 | Business Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/billionaire-credit-crunch References: [forbes](http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/12/16/billionaires-adelson-casino-biz-billies-cz_dg_1216biggestlosers.html) Forbes proves to be keeping on top of current trends in a recession-inspired spin on their 'World's Richest' lists. *America's Biggest Billionaire Losers of 2008* focuses on the grim reality of the steep financial losses experienced by some of the world's most affluent. Over the last 11 months, the 25 billionaires profiled lost a collective $167 billion. 1. Topping the list is **Sheldon Adelson**, a property developer in Las Vegas. In September 2007, Adelson was said to be worth $28 billion. The Chairman and CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. (The Venetian Hotel and the Sands Convention Center) was making $20.5 million *per day* back in 2006/07. LVS shares dropped 95% since the start of 2008, costing Adelson $24 billion because "cost-conscious consumers stay away from casinos in Las Vegas and Macau," according to Forbes. 2. **Warren Buffett**, "the world's richest man" in March, lost $16.5 billion this year after his Berkshire Hathaway shares plummeted 28% this year. 3. **Bill Gates** lost $12.3 billion as he watched his Microsoft shares fall 45% in 11 months. 4. **Kirk Kerkorian**, "the richest person in LA," and CEO of Tracinda Corporation, lost $11.9 billion off his $18 billion estimated worth. His MGM Mirage shares fell 87%, and his shares in Ford didn't help either. 5. **Larry Page**, Google's co-founder, lost $11.9 billion after his Google shares dropped 59%. 6. **Sergey Bring**, Google's other co-founder, also lost $11.7 billion. 7. **Larry Ellison** lost $8.2 billion when his Oracle and NewSuite shares fell over the last 11 months. 8. **Sumner Redstone** lost $72. billion in 2008 due to falling Viacom and CBS shares and Midway Games stake. 9. **Steven Ballmber**, Microsoft's chief executive, lost $6.5 billion. 10. **Charles Ergen** lost $6.1 billion in his Dish Network and Echostar shares as satellite subscriptions dwindled. 11. **Carl Icahn** lost $5.1 billion. 12. **Jeff Bezos** lost $4.6 billion due to his [Amazon.com](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chef-lilians-eguisi-kit) stock falling 49%. 13. **Dan Duncan** lost $4.1 billion in his oil and gas investments. 14. **Rupert Murdoch** lost $4 billion when News Corp. shares fell 60% due to a fall in ad revenue. 15. **Stephen Schwarzman**, [Blackstone Group's](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Tensor-Processing-Units) co-founder, lost $3.8 billion when his $5.2 billion shares dropped to $1.5 billion. 16. **Min Kao** lost $3.4 billion in his Garmin GOS shares. 17. **Michael Dell** was set back $3.3 billion thanks to a 56% decline in Dell shares this year. 18. **Pierre Omidyar**, the founder of eBay, saw his worth plummet $3.2 billion. 19. **Matthew Bucksbaum**, founder of [General Growth Properties](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/frigade), lost $2.9 billion. 20. **Micky Arison**, of Carnival cruise ships, lost $2.6 billion. 21. **Paul Allen** of Microsoft lost $2.6 billion. 22. **Gary Burrell**, another Garmin GPS exec, lost $2.6 billion. 23. **Maurice "Hank" Greenberg** watched the value of his AIG shares go from $2.6 billion in January to under $100 million today. 24. **Charles Bartlett Johnson** watched his Franklin Resources shares plunge by $2.2 billion. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.5/10 - Popularity: 34% | Activity: 3% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Business](https://www.trendhunter.com/business) > [Market](https://www.trendhunter.com/market) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Financial Losses of Billionaires:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in wealth management and financial planning to help billionaires recover and grow their fortunes. - **Decrease in Share Value:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in stock market analysis and trading strategies to mitigate losses and maximize returns for investors. - **Impact of Economic Downturn on Industries:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in sectors such as gaming, hospitality, and advertising to find new revenue streams and adapt to changing market dynamics. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Wealth Management:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in financial technology (fintech) to provide customized wealth management solutions for high-net-worth individuals. - **Stock Market Analysis:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for advanced stock market analysis and prediction. - **Gaming and Hospitality:** Disruptive innovation opportunities in virtual reality and online gaming platforms to attract new audiences and diversify revenue sources. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Wealth Simulation Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spend-bill-gates-money.md) - [Satirical Popsicle Snacks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eat-the-rich-popsicles.md) - [Billionaire-Shaped Ice Pops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mschf-eat-the-rich.md) - [Ultra-Luxurious Bejeweled Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/billionaire-card.md) - [Loser-Celebrating Board Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/monopoly-for-sore-losers.md) - [Extravagant New Year's Meals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/empire-steak-house-nyc.md) - [Private Company Financial Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/private-markets-hub.md) - [Billion-Dollar Yacht Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gquest-goliath-series-gigayacht.md) - [Large Gaming Company Acquisitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/microsoft-purchased-activision.md)