While technology stocks surged to record highs in 2025, the executives who built those companies were also moving aggressively to turn stock market gains into cash, selling more than $16 billion worth of shares over the year, according to an analysis of insider trading data.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos topped the list, selling about 25 million shares for roughly $5.7 billion in June and July. The transactions came as Amazon’s stock climbed to fresh highs and coincided with preparations for his wedding to Lauren Sanchez in Venice.
Oracle’s former chief executive Safra Catz followed with sales totaling about $2.5 billion, while Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell sold approximately $2.2 billion worth of stock.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose company became the world’s first publicly listed firm to reach a $5 trillion valuation, sold about $1 billion worth of shares. Arista Networks chief executive Jayshree Ullal also sold close to $1 billion as demand for the company’s high-speed networking equipment surged, pushing her personal net worth above $6 billion.
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg sold about $945 million worth of shares, largely through his philanthropic foundation. Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora and Robinhood Markets co-founder Baiju Bhatt each sold more than $700 million.
Most of the transactions were conducted under pre-arranged trading plans that executives file in advance, commonly known as Rule 10b5-1 plans in the United States. These plans are designed to reduce the risk of insider trading violations by setting up automatic sales at predetermined times or price levels, regardless of subsequent market developments.
The wave of selling reflects both the sharp rise in technology stock valuations and executives’ desire to diversify personal wealth after years of holding concentrated stakes in their own companies. The technology sector was one of the strongest performers in 2025, driven by investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure, which lifted share prices across large and mid-cap firms.
Despite the heavy selling, analysts note that most of the executives still retain substantial ownership stakes, aligning their financial interests with long-term company performance. Market participants also generally view scheduled insider sales as routine financial planning rather than a signal of reduced confidence in the businesses themselves.
The scale of the cash-outs nonetheless highlights how dramatically wealth has accumulated at the top of the technology industry, as a relatively small group of founders and executives continue to benefit from the sector’s dominant position in global equity markets.
