Money Mysteries Await
Some built tech empires, while others inherited massive wealth. Jump in and see how many you can identify correctly with this billionaire guessing game that puts your knowledge to the test.
A College Dropout Created Facemash Before Launching A Social Network From His Harvard Dorm Room
Mark Zuckerberg. The Meta CEO's fortune has fluctuated dramatically with his company's stock price. This man has even pledged to donate around 99% of his Facebook shares to charity over his lifetime.
Anthony Quintano from Honolulu, HI, United States, Wikimedia Commons
Paypal Made Him Wealthy, But Electric Cars And Rockets Made Him Famous
Elon Musk co-founded Zip2 in 1995, which was sold in 1999. Musk then became part of X.com, which turned into PayPal and was acquired by eBay for about $1.5 billion in 2002.
Duncan.Hull, Wikimedia Commons
His Conglomerate Owns Geico And Dairy Queen
Warren Buffett. As the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, he famously practices value investing and lives frugally in Omaha, Nebraska. He is known for his strategic investment philosophy and the Buffett Partnership Ltd.
USA International Trade Administration, Wikimedia Commons
Selling Books Online From A Garage In 1994 Was Just The Beginning For Him
Jeff Bezos. Amazon's founder stepped down as CEO in 2021 to focus on Blue Origin, his space company. He additionally owns The Washington Post and is reportedly building a $500 million superyacht.
Steve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons
In 1975, He Dropped Out Of Harvard To Begin A Software Company With Paul Allen
Bill Gates. This individual is seen as one of the world's most influential figures in global health and education. Gates served as CEO of Microsoft until 2000, when he stopped to focus on philanthropy.
European Commission - Photographer: Lukasz Kobus, Wikimedia Commons
France's Richest Person Oversees A Vast Empire Of 75+ Luxury Brands, Including Louis Vuitton And Sephora
Bernard Arnault. It is said that he pledged €200 million for the restoration after the Notre Dame Cathedral fire. The LVMH chairman briefly surpassed Musk as the world's richest person in 2022.
Jeremy Barande, Wikimedia Commons
A Spanish Billionaire Left School At 14 To Work As A Shop Hand For A Local Shirtmaker
Amancio Ortega. His business strategy emphasized a customer-centric approach and a highly responsive supply chain, allowing Zara to adapt to changing fashion trends. As of 2024, Ortega's net worth was approximately $134.3 billion.
Building A Database Company From Just $2,000 In 1977 Led To Immense Wealth For The Twice-College Dropout
Larry Ellison. Oracle's owner has pledged to give away 95% of his wealth. He served as an early investor in Musk's Tesla. Ellison has received the Golden Plate Award for his contributions to technology.
Oracle Corporate Communications, Wikimedia Commons
Wall Street Knows This Person As The Greatest Investor Never To Manage Outside Money
Carl Icahn. It is said that Icahn began his career on Wall Street as a stockbroker for Dreyfus Corporation in 1961. His investment strategy is associated with the “Icahn lift,” and he is recognized for his aggressive investment strategies.
Carl Icahn: Buy Assets that Nobody Wants by Investor Talk
An Ambitious Publisher Built Fox News And The Wall Street Journal
Rupert Murdoch. During his time at Oxford, he briefly worked as an editor for Lord Beaverbrook's Daily Express. In 1979, Murdoch established News Corporation as a holding company for his media properties.
David Shankbone , Wikimedia Commons
China's Once-Richest Figure Taught English Before Founding An Online Marketplace
Jack Ma. This one’s entrepreneurial journey began with the Hangzhou Hope Translation Agency in 1994. In 1999, Ma co-founded Alibaba Group with 17 friends. The company went public in 2014 with the largest IPO.
World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons
Proprietor Of Grupo Carso Interested In Telecommunications And Construction
Carlos Slim. After graduating, Slim started his business career as a stock trader and founded his first company, Inversora Bursatil, in 1965. A pivotal moment came in the 1990s when he acquired Mexico’s Telmex.
ITU Pictures from Geneva, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons
Las Vegas Wouldn't Be The Same Without The Vision Of A Hotel And Casino Magnate Who Altered The Strip
Sheldon Adelson. The late Las Vegas Sands owner was a major Republican donor. At the time of his demise, Adelson's net worth was estimated to be around $40 billion. He passed away in January 2021.
Studied Medicine At The University Of Piacenza But Ended Up Pursuing A Career In Fashion
Giorgio Armani. As of March 2025, Giorgio Armani's net worth is estimated to be around $11.6 billion, according to Forbes. His brand has grown globally, with lines such as Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange.
GianAngelo Pistoia, Wikimedia Commons
A Taiwanese Immigrant Was Named One Of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People
Jensen Huang. Under Huang's leadership, NVIDIA has become a leader in the semiconductor industry, pioneering the use of GPUs in fields beyond gaming. These include artificial intelligence (AI), scientific research, and autonomous vehicles.
NVIDIA Taiwan, Wikimedia Commons
This Individual’s Company's Name Was Inspired By The Mathematical Term For 10^100
Larry Page. Google's co-founder served as CEO before creating the parent company Alphabet. In 1998, Page and Brin co-founded it. They developed a search engine that ranked results based on their popularity using “PageRank”.
Marcin Mycielski, European Parliament (Stansfield), Wikimedia Commons
A 10 Million Severance Package Helped Him To Co-Found Innovative Market Systems
Michael Bloomberg. He is thought to be worth $104.7 billion as of February 2025. Bloomberg has pledged to give away most of his wealth through philanthropy, having donated around $17 billion to date.
UNclimatechange from Bonn, Germany, Wikimedia Commons
America's Richest Woman Inherited Her Fortune From Her Father's Discount Retail Empire
Alice Walton. She stands as an American heiress to the Walmart fortune. Alice began her career as an equity analyst and finance manager for First Commerce Corporation and Arvest Bank Group.
Stephen Ironside, Wikimedia Commons
Leading Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, This Telecom Mogul Lives In A 27-Story Private Residence In India
Mukesh Ambani. He is the chairman and managing leader of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), one of India's largest private-sector corporations. Ambani joined Reliance in 1981 and played a critical role in its expansion.
World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons
Immigrated To The US At Age Six Before Meeting His Future Business Partner At Stanford
Sergey Brin. In 2015, Google restructured under Alphabet Inc., with Brin as president until he stepped down in December 2019. He helped develop Google's early projects, such as Google News and Google Scholar.
JD Lasica from Pleasanton, CA, US, Wikimedia Commons
This Person Joined Microsoft In 1980 And Rose To CEO, Famously Shouting "Developers" Repeatedly
Steve Ballmer. The former CEO of Microsoft funded USAFacts, a non-profit organization that provides government data. Under Ballmer's leadership, Microsoft's revenue tripled and reached over $77 billion by 2013.
Aanjhan Ranganathan, Wikimedia Commons
She Is The Granddaughter Of L'oreal's Developer, Often Listed As The Second-Richest Woman In The World
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers. After her mother's death in 2017, Ms. Meyers inherited a significant portion of L'Oreal shares, increasing her net worth substantially. Her family owns approximately 33% of L'Oreal.
A Former Math Professor And Pioneer In Statistical Analysis Software
Jim Goodnight. As co-founder of SAS Institute in 1976, he built one of the world's largest privately held software companies. Goodnight started the business on the campus of North Carolina State University.
World Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons
This Harvard MBA Graduate Founded A Private Equity Firm That Became One Of The Largest Alternative Asset Managers
Stephen Schwarzman. The Blackstone Group co-founder started his career at Lehman Brothers before launching his own firm in 1985 with around $400,000 in seed capital. Schwarzman has since become a major philanthropist.
Sold Newspapers As A Child And Built A Media Empire Including CNN And HBO
Ted Turner. As a media mogul, he launched the first 24-hour cable news network in 1980 and went on to develop multiple cable television networks. Turner is also known for his $1 billion pledge to the UN in 1997.
INTX: The Internet & Television Expo, Wikimedia Commons
Created The World's Largest Hedge Fund After Being Fired From His Commodities Trading Job
Ray Dalio. This man started his investment company in 1975 from his two-bedroom apartment in New York. Dalio is known for his "principles" approach to life and business, which he detailed in his bestselling book.
Co-Founder Of Netscape Communications Inducted Into The World Wide Web Hall Of Fame
Marc Andreessen. He is a co-creator of Mosaic, the first widely used web browser. After selling Netscape to AOL, Andreessen established one of Silicon Valley's influential venture capital firms, Andreessen Horowitz.
A Retail Empire Began When This Entrepreneur Borrowed $1,000 To Open His First Five-And-Dime Store
Sam Walton. Post graduation, Walton worked briefly at J.C. Penney in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1962, Walton inaugurated the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas, focusing on offering low prices and efficient logistics.
Photo credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons
Swedish Entrepreneur Linked With Ikea
Ingvar Kamprad. The IKEA founder began his entrepreneurial journey by selling matches at age five due to his interest in business. His revolutionary flat-pack furniture design and self-service concept enhanced the industry.
Celsius~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons
His Small Coffee Shop Became A Global Chain With Over 30,000 Locations
Howard Schultz. After visiting Milan and experiencing Italian coffee culture, he convinced the original Starbucks owners to test a coffee house concept. Schultz eventually purchased the company in 1987 and expanded it.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
Chinese Entrepreneur And Proprietor Of JD.Com
Richard Liu. The JD.com founder started his business journey with a small counter selling magneto-optical products in Beijing's tech hub. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, he pivoted to e-commerce and built the reputable company.
World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons
This Individual Left The Soviet Union With $700 Before Creating A Popular Antivirus Software
Eugene Kaspersky. He studied cryptography and mathematics at a KGB-sponsored institute. Here is where the man discovered his first computer virus in 1989. Kaspersky then co-founded his cybersecurity company in 1997.
Kaspersky Lab, Wikimedia Commons
A Failed Attempt At Professional Baseball Led This Person To Build A Sports Equipment Empire
Phil Knight. Better known as the Nike co-founder, Knight began by selling Japanese running shoes from the trunk of his car at track meets. His partnership with coach Bill Bowerman changed the game for athletic footwear.
Phil Knight Discusses His New Book 'Shoe Dog' by Good Morning America
Referred To As The "Czar Of The Indian IT Industry”
Azim Premji. Taking over his family's vegetable oil business at age 21, he transformed Wipro into a global IT and business process services company. Wipro was the first Indian company to achieve CMM Level 5 certification.
Monikia Flueckiger , World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons
Austrian Born Involved In Red Bull Racing In Formula One
Dietrich Mateschitz. During a business trip, he came across Krating Daeng, a Thai energy drink. He changed the recipe and helped create Red Bull in 1987. Mateschitz began his career at Unilever and Blendax.
Co-Created A Web Payment System That Became Part Of EBay
Peter Thiel. As the co-founder of PayPal, he was the first outside investor in Facebook, purchasing a 10% stake for around $500,000 in 2004. Thiel later co-founded Palantir Technologies, a data analytics company that works with government agencies.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
Famously Introduced "Hamburger University" To Train Franchisees
Ray Kroc. While not technically the founder of McDonald's, he purchased the restaurant venture from the McDonald brothers in 1955. Kroc's franchise model, real estate strategy, and standardization of operations created consistency across thousands of locations.
Sigfried Rodig, Wikimedia Commons
This Fashion Designer Began With A $75,000 Loan Before Building A Clothing Brand
Michael Kors. After stepping out of the Fashion Institute of Technology, he began designing for a boutique. Kors's talent for creating luxury ready-to-wear collections led to his role as creative director at the French fashion house Celine.
Son Of Godtfred Kirk Christiansen Who Built A Game Based On Interlocking Plastic Bricks
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen. He was the grandson of LEGO founder Ole Kirk Christiansen. Under his leadership, LEGO grew beyond basic brick sets to themed product lines, video games, movies, and theme parks.
Legoland Billund Resort, Wikimedia Commons
Math Teacher From China Built Asia's Largest Beverage Company
Zong Qinghou. In 1987, Zong started Wahaha as a tiny shop inside a kids' school in Hangzhou. Through strategic partnerships and a focus on bottled water and nutritional drinks, he built China's largest beverage empire.
Interview with Zong Qinghou, founder of Hangzhou Wahaha Group by CGTN
Used To Sell Encyclopedia Door-To-Door Before Developing A Low-Cost Airline
Bjorn Kjos. He previously worked as a fighter pilot and lawyer and launched his airline, Norwegian Air, in 1993 with just three planes. Beyond aviation, Kjos is an accomplished thriller novel author and technology investor.
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Wikimedia Commons
A Programmer Who Built The Popular Sandbox Game Minecraft
Markus Persson. Better known as "Notch," this individual is behind Minecraft, which was launched in 2009. He did this before selling his company, Mojang, to Microsoft for around $2.5 billion in 2014.
Official GDC, Wikimedia Commons
This Computer Science Graduate Is The CEO Of Xiaomi Corporation
Lei Jun. The Xiaomi co-founder started his career at software company Kingsoft, where he rose to become CEO before resigning in 2007. In 2010, he launched Xiaomi with a focus on high-quality smartphones at competitive prices and an internet-first business model.
China News Service
, Wikimedia Commons
Worked At The Beijing Non-Ferrous Research Institute Before “Building Your Dreams”
Wang Chuanfu. He is the proprietor of BYD (Build Your Dreams). Chuanfu’s scientific background and focus on technological innovation allowed BYD to become a leading supplier of rechargeable batteries before expanding into automobiles in 2003 by acquiring Qinchuan Auto.
