Facebook's Zuckerberg now richer than Google founders

BOSTON: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has become richer than Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, thanks to GSV Capital Corp's stake buy which values the popular social networking site at about USD 70 billion.

GSV Capital Corp, earlier this week, bought 225,000 shares in Facebook at an average price of USD 29.28 each.

This stake buy values the popular social networking site at about USD 70 billion.

Based on the new investment, Zuckerberg in turn is worth approximately USD 18 billion, a report in Time magazine said.

"With the new valuation, Zuckerberg has one-upped Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, whose fortunes are estimated to have dropped," the Time report said.

This estimate makes Zuckerberg the third-richest man in the technology sector in the world, only behind Microsoft's Bill Gates and Oracle's Larry Ellison.

While Gates is estimated to be currently worth USD 56 billion, Ellison is the world's fifth-richest billionaire at USD 39.5 billion.

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg's net worth stood at USD 13.5 billion.

He had already shot past Apple's Steve Jobs last year and has now passed Google's Brin and Page, whose fortunes are now estimated to have dropped to USD 17 billion from USD 19.8 billion in March.