Amid a year of big gains and big losses, The Forbes 400 richest Americans are worth a record-breaking $2.96 trillion, up 2.2% from 2018.
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos keeps his spot as No. 1 richest in the U.S for the second year in a row, despite parting with a quarter of his Amazon stake in a record-setting divorce settlement earlier this year. He clocks in at $114 billion, down from $160 billion a year ago. His ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, joins the list for the first time at No. 15, with a $36.1 billion fortune.
Bill Gates came in at No. 2 , the same rank as last year, but the gap between him and Bezos has narrowed dramatically, to just $8 billion as of September 6, the day we locked in net worths. Besides MacKenzie Bezos, 18 other newcomers join the ranks, including Tim Sweeney, whose video game company Epic Games is behind the wildly popular Fortnite; private equity dealmaker Orlando Bravo, who is the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire; and Anthony Wood, founder of streaming technology firm Roku.
The minimum net worth needed to be part of the exclusive club is unchanged from last year at $2.1 billion; the average net worth of a Forbes 400 member has risen to $7.4 billion, up $200 million. At these heights, a record 221 American billionaires, ranging from Michael Jordan and Jay-Z to Sheryl Sandberg and Kylie Jenner, fail to make the cut. For the full methodology of the 38th annual ranking of America’s richest, see here.
www.forbes.com
NEW YORK – October 2, 2019 – Forbes today released its 38th annual Forbes 400, a ranking of the wealthiest Americans, who have a record-breaking combined net worth of $2.96 trillion. A record 221 U.S. billionaires did not make the cut this year, falling short of the $2.1 billion minimum needed to make the list. 66.5% of the list makers are self-made billionaires and 63.5% are founders of their companies.
“It was another year of big gains, big losses and big turnovers,” said Luisa Kroll, Assistant Managing Editor, Wealth at Forbes. “The Forbes 400 is a snapshot of who’s up and who’s down – each year some drop-off but other rising entrepreneurs take their place,” said Kerry Dolan, Assistant Managing Editor, Wealth at Forbes.
Today In: Leadership
Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, worth $114 billion, remains in the top spot, despite his net worth decreasing by $46 billion since last year. In the costliest divorce ever, Jeff Bezos transferred a quarter of his shares to his now ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos. MacKenzie, in at No. 15, debuts on the Forbes 400 list with a net worth of $36.1 billion and is now the third-richest woman in America. In an exclusive story Forbes shares details about MacKenzie’s early days at Amazon and speaks to one of the company’s first investors, who says MacKenzie should have gotten 50% of the company. There are 56 women on this year’s Forbes 400 list.
Donald Trump’s ranking dropped to No. 275 from 259 in 2018, but his net worth remained the same as last year at $3.1 billion. There were 22 drop-offs this year and 19 newcomers. Newcomers include: Julia Koch, No. 13, with a net worth of $41 billion; MacKenzie Bezos, No. 15 with a net worth of $36.1 billion; Tim Sweeney, whose company created the game Fortnite, No. 150 with a net worth of $4.5 billion, and Orlando Bravo, No. 287 with $3 billion, who is the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire.
PROMOTED
Philanthropy Scores: As part of The Forbes 400 package, Forbes scored the billionaires based on their respective philanthropic contributions. The philanthropy score ranks list members on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most philanthropic. Forbes estimates each list member’s total lifetime giving based on public filings (including tax forms for private foundations, press releases and more), and the percentage of their fortune they have donated.
Cover story: In an exclusive interview, Shari Redstone, Chairwoman of the soon-to-be- merged ViacomCBS Inc., talks to Forbes about her vicious uphill battle to unite the two media companies and restructure both boards. For the complete story, visit: here.
The Forbes 400 magazine issue will feature four consecutive covers, including: Shari Redstone, Orlando Bravo, Barry Diller and Phil Anschutz.
Forbes 400 Feature Stories Include:
· Ghost Writer: MacKenzie Bezos is an author, an early Amazon employee, a billionaire – and isn’t talking.
· The Anti-Trump Trumps: Since their father became president, Trump’s sons have run the business in a decidedly un-Donald-like way.
· The Real-Life Succession: Shari Redstone faced a vicious uphill battle for her father’s company – including, at times, with Sumner Redstone himself. Finally victorious in uniting Viacom and CBS, she tells her side of the story for the first time.
· Wall Street’s Best Dealmaker: Orlando Bravo peaked as a competitive junior tennis player in the 1980s but became a champion in a far more lucrative game: private equity.
· Barry Begins Again: Most tech billionaires are precocious revolutionaries. Then there’s Barry Diller. The former Hollywood mogul has ground his way to a $4.2 billion technology fortune, one unsexy spinoff at a time – and at 77 he is about to start afresh.
· A Force of Nature: Billionaire oilman Phil Anschutz is gearing up for one last act, moving from fossil fuels to – gasp! – renewable energy. But he’s in it for a different share of green. Will Anschutz’s $8 billion wind farm be his ultimate windfall?
For the complete Forbes 400 ranking, methodology and more, visit: www.forbes.com/forbes-400/
#Forbes400
www.forbes.com
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos keeps his spot as No. 1 richest in the U.S for the second year in a row, despite parting with a quarter of his Amazon stake in a record-setting divorce settlement earlier this year. He clocks in at $114 billion, down from $160 billion a year ago. His ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, joins the list for the first time at No. 15, with a $36.1 billion fortune.
Bill Gates came in at No. 2 , the same rank as last year, but the gap between him and Bezos has narrowed dramatically, to just $8 billion as of September 6, the day we locked in net worths. Besides MacKenzie Bezos, 18 other newcomers join the ranks, including Tim Sweeney, whose video game company Epic Games is behind the wildly popular Fortnite; private equity dealmaker Orlando Bravo, who is the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire; and Anthony Wood, founder of streaming technology firm Roku.
The minimum net worth needed to be part of the exclusive club is unchanged from last year at $2.1 billion; the average net worth of a Forbes 400 member has risen to $7.4 billion, up $200 million. At these heights, a record 221 American billionaires, ranging from Michael Jordan and Jay-Z to Sheryl Sandberg and Kylie Jenner, fail to make the cut. For the full methodology of the 38th annual ranking of America’s richest, see here.
The Forbes 400 2021
The Forbes 400 is the definitive list of the richest Americans, ranking the country’s wealthiest billionaires by their net worths.
NEW YORK – October 2, 2019 – Forbes today released its 38th annual Forbes 400, a ranking of the wealthiest Americans, who have a record-breaking combined net worth of $2.96 trillion. A record 221 U.S. billionaires did not make the cut this year, falling short of the $2.1 billion minimum needed to make the list. 66.5% of the list makers are self-made billionaires and 63.5% are founders of their companies.
“It was another year of big gains, big losses and big turnovers,” said Luisa Kroll, Assistant Managing Editor, Wealth at Forbes. “The Forbes 400 is a snapshot of who’s up and who’s down – each year some drop-off but other rising entrepreneurs take their place,” said Kerry Dolan, Assistant Managing Editor, Wealth at Forbes.
Today In: Leadership
Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, worth $114 billion, remains in the top spot, despite his net worth decreasing by $46 billion since last year. In the costliest divorce ever, Jeff Bezos transferred a quarter of his shares to his now ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos. MacKenzie, in at No. 15, debuts on the Forbes 400 list with a net worth of $36.1 billion and is now the third-richest woman in America. In an exclusive story Forbes shares details about MacKenzie’s early days at Amazon and speaks to one of the company’s first investors, who says MacKenzie should have gotten 50% of the company. There are 56 women on this year’s Forbes 400 list.
Donald Trump’s ranking dropped to No. 275 from 259 in 2018, but his net worth remained the same as last year at $3.1 billion. There were 22 drop-offs this year and 19 newcomers. Newcomers include: Julia Koch, No. 13, with a net worth of $41 billion; MacKenzie Bezos, No. 15 with a net worth of $36.1 billion; Tim Sweeney, whose company created the game Fortnite, No. 150 with a net worth of $4.5 billion, and Orlando Bravo, No. 287 with $3 billion, who is the first Puerto Rican-born billionaire.
PROMOTED
Philanthropy Scores: As part of The Forbes 400 package, Forbes scored the billionaires based on their respective philanthropic contributions. The philanthropy score ranks list members on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most philanthropic. Forbes estimates each list member’s total lifetime giving based on public filings (including tax forms for private foundations, press releases and more), and the percentage of their fortune they have donated.
Cover story: In an exclusive interview, Shari Redstone, Chairwoman of the soon-to-be- merged ViacomCBS Inc., talks to Forbes about her vicious uphill battle to unite the two media companies and restructure both boards. For the complete story, visit: here.
The Forbes 400 magazine issue will feature four consecutive covers, including: Shari Redstone, Orlando Bravo, Barry Diller and Phil Anschutz.
Forbes 400 Feature Stories Include:
· Ghost Writer: MacKenzie Bezos is an author, an early Amazon employee, a billionaire – and isn’t talking.
· The Anti-Trump Trumps: Since their father became president, Trump’s sons have run the business in a decidedly un-Donald-like way.
· The Real-Life Succession: Shari Redstone faced a vicious uphill battle for her father’s company – including, at times, with Sumner Redstone himself. Finally victorious in uniting Viacom and CBS, she tells her side of the story for the first time.
· Wall Street’s Best Dealmaker: Orlando Bravo peaked as a competitive junior tennis player in the 1980s but became a champion in a far more lucrative game: private equity.
· Barry Begins Again: Most tech billionaires are precocious revolutionaries. Then there’s Barry Diller. The former Hollywood mogul has ground his way to a $4.2 billion technology fortune, one unsexy spinoff at a time – and at 77 he is about to start afresh.
· A Force of Nature: Billionaire oilman Phil Anschutz is gearing up for one last act, moving from fossil fuels to – gasp! – renewable energy. But he’s in it for a different share of green. Will Anschutz’s $8 billion wind farm be his ultimate windfall?
For the complete Forbes 400 ranking, methodology and more, visit: www.forbes.com/forbes-400/
#Forbes400
Forbes Releases 38th Annual Forbes 400 Ranking of the Richest Americans
Forbes today released its 38th annual Forbes 400, a ranking of the wealthiest Americans, who have a record-breaking combined net worth of $2.96 trillion.
www.forbes.com
