<h1>Tech co-founder becomes richest after surge tied to earnings and cloud deals, raising disclosure and shareholder risk</h1> A software giant's co-founder overtook an electric-vehicle and tech CEO as the world's richest person after a rapid stock surge driven by blockbuster earnings and multibillion-dollar cloud contracts, adding roughly $100 billion to his stake; major wealth trackers disagree due to differing valuations of private holdings. The episode underscores market sensitivity to earnings and valuation methodology and carries potential legal implications for both companies, including shareholder litigation risk, disclosure and reporting obligations, insider-trading scrutiny, and reputational or regulatory consequences tied to sales declines and executive conduct.