Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has become the sixth richest person in the world, surpassing co-founder Bill Gates with a net worth of $158 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Ballmer's fortune now exceeds that of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, investor Warren Buffett, Dell founder Michael Dell, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Meanwhile, Bill Gates is currently ranked as the seventh richest person globally, with a net worth of $157 billion.

This shift follows a more than 22% increase in Microsoft's stock prices. While Gates owns 1% of Microsoft, Ballmer holds approximately 4% of the company's shares.