Top 10 people most likely to reach trillionaire status

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide for wealthy investors and consumers. To register to receive future editions directly to your inbox.

On September 29, 1916, newspapers across the country reported a milestone that once seemed unattainable: the birth of the world's first billionaire.

“Standard (Oil) at $2,014 Makes Company a Billionaire,” headlined the New York Times, which added that Standard Oil's rising stock price “is almost certain to make John D. Rockefeller, founder and largest shareholder, a billionaire.”

More than a century after the first American billionaire (in measurable dollar terms), the question of who will be the first to reach the trillionaire mark continues to fascinate. At least half a dozen companies have done it, most recently Berkshire Hathawaywhich surpassed the $1 trillion mark just before Warren Buffett's 94th birthday. Nvidia now stands at $2.6 trillion, having reached the 13-figure mark last year.

And what about individuals? According to a new report from Informa Connect Academy, which predicts trillionaire status based on average annual wealth growth, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is likely to become the first trillionaire.

Musk is currently the world’s richest person, with $251 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Connect Academy predicts that Musk will become a trillionaire sometime in 2027, assuming his fortune continues to grow at an average annual rate of 110%.

The second to reach trillionaire status, according to the report, will be India’s Gautam Adani, founder of conglomerate Adani Group. If Adani can maintain his recent annual growth rate of 123%, he will be a trillionaire by 2028, according to the report.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who has seen his net worth soar from $3 billion to more than $90 billion in five years, is set to become a trillionaire by 2028, the report said. His wealth is expected to continue growing at an average annual rate of 112%. Nvidia shares are already up about 115% this year after more than tripling last year.

Fourth on the list is Indonesian Prajogo Pangestu, founder of Indonesian energy and mining conglomerate Barito Pacific. The report predicts that Pangestu could reach trillionaire status by 2028.

The top five would be rounded out by: LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, who is currently the third richest person in the world, with just under $200 billion. The report predicts that the luxury king will become a trillionaire sometime in 2030, along with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Some top billionaires who seem like strong candidates to quickly reach the four-point club don't make the top 10. Jeff Bezos, currently the world's second-richest person, with $200 billion, according to Bloomberg, is at No. 12 and isn't expected to become a billionaire until 2036. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the Google founders, must also wait 12 years to become billionaires, although artificial intelligence can accelerate their rise.

Granted, wealth watchers have been predicting the first trillionaire for years. And Tesla, Nvidia and LVMH stocks may not rise as fast in the next five years as they have in the past five.

Yet it could well be that, more than 100 years after the first billionaire, the first trillionaire will be crowned in the coming decade.