Which Phones Do Tech Billionaires Use
Introduction
What does a phone reveal about its owner? When the owner happens to be a tech billionaire, the answer is quite a lot: brand loyalties, security paranoia, even hints about the next big product they’re secretly testing. Over the past year we’ve seen:
- Elon Musk live-tweeting corporate drama from an iPhone while simultaneously teasing a “Tesla Pi” handset that could wield Starlink and Neuralink tech; if it ever ships.
- Mark Zuckerberg flaunting a Samsung flagship at public events, sticking to Android just as he once urged his top execs to do.
The point is: these choices matter. Ultra-wealthy founders are prime targets for SIM-swap attacks, industrial espionage, and paparazzi leaks.
In 2025 the spec sheet almost always plays second fiddle to rock-solid security and a tight ecosystem fit.
Is your cellphone vulnerable to SIM Swap? Get a FREE scan now!
Please ensure your number is in the correct format.
Valid for US numbers only!
Sourcing the Billionaires’ Phones
Tracking a mogul’s “daily driver” isn’t as simple as reading a press release. Here’s the evidence stack we rely on (and why it’s trustworthy):
- Device metadata on social posts
Tweets and Threads often include “via iPhone” or “via Android” tags, revealing the device used in real time—unless intentionally removed by PR. - First-person interviews & AMAs
When executives speak directly, their comments are unfiltered and often more revealing than official press statements. - Event and paparazzi photos
High-resolution images can expose camera layouts, phone cases, and even lock-screen UIs, offering visual clues about the device. - Regulatory filings & supply-chain leaks
IMEI ranges, prototype parts, or case designs sometimes leak months before a product’s official release. - Public statements about security
Comments about threat models often hint at hardware choices—like satellite phones on yachts, Faraday cages at headquarters, or custom eSIM solutions.
Caveat: Billionaires frequently carry multiple handsets; an everyday “public” phone plus ultra-secure or prototype devices kept strictly off camera.
Our article flags what’s been observed in the recent year, but we’ll update as new intel emerges.
What Phones Do Billionaires Use?
There is a lot of hype, and there is a lot of speculation - we’ve dealt with it:
1. Elon Musk
Despite the buzz around a possible “Tesla Pi Phone”, Musk’s everyday handset is still an iPhone. He praised the iPhone 15’s camera last year and joked that the iPhone 16’s upgrades were “a bargain for only $50 billion in R&D,” signalling he’d already moved to Apple’s latest flagship.
But, what phone does Elon Musk use today I hear? The Pi only remains a rumour mill darling (supposedly adding Starlink, Neuralink hooks and even solar charging) but Musk has repeatedly said Tesla would build a phone only if Google or Apple “went anti-competitive.” Until then, the Pi is speculation.
Musk is known to carry at least one backup handset (often a Secure-built Android) for high-risk travel, runs Signal for one-to-one chats, authenticates log-ins with YubiKeys, and insists on hardware-level end-to-end encryption for X Corp. execs.
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Zuck publicly brandished a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra on-stage at Meta Connect and used it to demo Meta AI avatars. Internally he still tells senior staff to “live on Android,” but sources close to Reality Labs say he also keeps an iPhone 16 Pro for iMessage-only group chats with certain partners.
Forums like Reddit often ask “which phone does Mark Zuckerberg use,” and the answer is always black and blue.
Here’s why Android is his preferred platform:
- Deep integration with Quest, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses and sideloadable builds.
- Less vendor lock-in for experimental APKs.
- Samsung’s Knox + Meta’s in-house MCM profile for hardened device management.
3. Jeff Bezos
Bezos has rotated through BlackBerry, the doomed Fire Phone, and, most likely today, an iPhone 15/16 Pro running a custom “prime” security profile.
He’s famously private; tech-watchers note that unlike Musk or Zuckerberg he rarely allows his screen to face cameras, and recent write-ups call his daily driver a “mystery”
There’s no true answer to what phone does Jeff Bezos use, and that’s probably for the best. When aboard the super-yacht Koru or in the field on Blue Origin shoots, staff say a rugged Iridium satellite handset is always within arm’s reach.
4. Bill Gates
Gates abandoned Windows Phone years ago and now carries Samsung’s foldables.
In his most recent Reddit AMA he confirmed a Galaxy Z Fold 4 (since upgraded to Fold 5) gifted by Samsung chair J.Y. Lee.
Gates likes the book-style screen for reading research PDFs and runs a “Microsoft-first” app stack: Outlook, Teams, Loop; plus Graph-based 2FA.
5. Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO predictably totes whatever the newest Pro-level iPhone is; photos from the Sept 2024 launch show Cook greeting customers while holding an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Internally, Cook’s unit is flashed with unreleased iOS builds that enable kernel-level logging for threat-hunting teams and an NCK-locked Secure Enclave unreachable by even AppleCare.
7. Sundar Pichai
Pichai “uses everything,” but told YouTuber @Mrwhosetheboss his primary SIM lives in a Pixel 9 Pro, while he actively tests the Pixel Fold and a Galaxy flagship for parity checks.
Pixel builds he carries are usually two Android betas ahead, with Gemini Nano AI features switched on by default.
8. Sam Altman
OpenAI’s chief has been glimpsed holding an iPhone, yet in May 2025 he revealed he’s already dog-fooding a mystery “io Device,” a screen-less AI companion designed with Jony Ive that could replace the smartphone outright.
Early testers say it syncs through an iPhone-based developer app for connectivity while the standalone radios are finalised.
BONUS: Larry Page & Sergey Brin
These two love to experiment with their tech:
- Larry Page is rarely photographed with a phone; former Googlers say he alternates between a vanilla Pixel and an iPhone when travelling, prioritising devices with eSIM-only SKUs so numbers can be wiped on border crossings.
- Sergey Brin ditched Glass but is now field-testing Android XR smart-glasses that tether to an on-device Gemini model; he uses a prototype Pixel 9a as the companion phone.
Quick Snapshot For Billionaire Phones
Even among the ultra-rich, no single phone or secure phone service dominates. Preferences track:
- Elon Musk
- Daily Driver: iPhone 15/16 Pro
- Backup / Experimental: Tesla Pi rumour lab
- Why: Best consumer camera and App Store reach
- Mark Zuckerberg
- Daily Driver: Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Backup / Experimental: iPhone 16 Pro
- Why: Deep Android integration for Meta development builds
- Jeff Bezos
- Daily Driver: iPhone 15/16 Pro (private profile)
- Backup / Experimental: Iridium satellite phone
- Why: Strong iOS security with global communication access
- Bill Gates
- Daily Driver: Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Backup / Experimental: Surface Studio ecosystem
- Why: Large screen for documents and tight Microsoft app integration
- Tim Cook
- Daily Driver: iPhone 16 Pro Max
- Backup / Experimental: Pre-production iPhone 17 test devices
- Why: Dogfoods Apple hardware with unreleased builds
- Sundar Pichai
- Daily Driver: Pixel 9 Pro
- Backup / Experimental: Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy
- Why: Testing new Android and Gemini AI features
- Larry Page & Sergey Brin
- Daily Driver: Pixel phones and Android XR smart-glasses
- Backup / Experimental: iPhone (mainly for iMessage use)
- Why: Maintain visibility across both iOS and Android ecosystems
- Sam Altman
- Daily Driver: Prototype io device
- Backup / Experimental: iPhone used as connectivity bridge
- Why: Exploring the future of AI-driven, post-phone interfaces
SIM Swap Protection
Get our SAFE plan for guaranteed SIM swap protection.
Why Security > Specs at the Billionaire Level
When you’re a Fortune-500 CEO, or even the engineer who builds their phone; the biggest threat isn’t a mediocre camera; it’s a SIM-swap attack that hands criminals the keys to your banks, blockchains, and back-office dashboards. Across the profiles above, three security pillars keep popping up:
- Billionaires rarely rely on walk-in retail carriers. Their numbers sit behind enterprise-grade account controls or private MVNOs that require multi-person authentication before any change is allowed. Even the most secure cell phone carrier isn’t enough.
- YubiKeys, Titan Keys, or bespoke FIDO2 tokens replace text-message codes. Several execs even tie passkeys to a sat-phone or air-gapped backup so they can still 2FA from the middle of the Pacific.
- Signal (small groups), WhatsApp (friends & family), and company-signed builds of Messenger or Teams dominate. Push notifications ride through VPN tunnels; many phones auto-nuke logs when crossing borders.
Specs are table stakes; security architecture is the differentiator. That’s true whether you’re worth $200 billion or just trying to protect a crypto wallet - you still need a secure cell phone service.
Monthly
Yearly
Shield Your Own Phone Like a Billionaire
Efani is the only consumer mobile plan that wraps your number inside an 11-layer security protocol and backs it with up to $5 million in insurance against SIM-swap losses. That means, with Efani secure mobile:
- No number changes without multi-party verification
- Automatic blocking of port-out requests
- Unlimited talk, text & high-speed data across North America
- 60-day, money-back guarantee
Conclusion
In short, billionaires favour whatever hardware best plugs into their own ecosystems and security models; but they’re all watching the same horizon: satellite links, AI co-processors and, perhaps soon, phones you can’t even see.
The difference lies in the layers of security, redundancy, and prototype tinkering wrapped around those devices.
FAQs
Which phone does Mark Zuckerberg use?
Recent fan-shot clips and tweets show Meta’s CEO carrying a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra as his daily driver. Zuckerberg favors Android for its sideload freedom and tight integration with Quest/Ray-Ban builds, though insiders say he keeps an iPhone 16 Pro for iMessage-only partner chats.
What phone does Jeff Bezos use?
Bezos has a long record of relying on Apple’s Pro-level iPhones; the forensic team that investigated his 2018 hack examined an iPhone, and security staff still issue him the newest Pro (currently the iPhone 16 Pro) flashed with a hardened profile. He also travels with an Iridium satellite handset for off-grid connectivity.
Which phone do most billionaires use?
Across public sightings, social-post metadata and wealth-demographic studies, iPhone Pro models dominate billionaire pockets. Research shows iPhone owners skew wealthier (about 44 % higher average income than Android users) which aligns with the heavy iPhone presence among the world’s richest founders and investors.
Which phone does Cristiano Ronaldo use?
The football icon is often filmed taking photos with an iPhone 15/16 Pro Max; viral TikTok clips highlight his “iPhone 15 camera experience.” While Ronaldo once fronted Huawei campaigns, the latest fan footage and stadium selfies point to Apple’s flagship as his current daily driver.
