March 18, 2025 | Peter Kinney

Quiz: Can You Name These Billionaires?


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.

Armani

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.

File:Mark Zuckerberg F8 2018 Keynote (cropped).jpgAnthony Quintano from Honolulu, HI, United States, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Elon Musk Royal Society.jpgDuncan.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.

File:Warren Buffett at the 2015 SelectUSA Investment Summit.jpgUSA 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. 

File:Jeff Bezos' iconic laugh.jpgSteve Jurvetson, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Visit of Bill Gates to the European Commission - P062021-967902.jpgEuropean 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. 

File:Bernard Arnault (2) - 2017.jpgJeremy 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.

Amancio OrtegaImaxe Press, Shutterstock

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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.

File:Larry Ellison and Exadata.jpgOracle 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 IcahnCarl 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.

File:Rupert Murdoch 2011 Shankbone 4.JPGDavid Shankbone , Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Flickr - World Economic Forum - Jack Ma Yun - Annual Meeting of the New Champions Tianjin 2008 (1).jpgWorld 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.

File:Carlos Slim (8562887176).jpgITU 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.

File:Sheldon Adelson 19 June 2010.jpgBectrigger, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Giorgio Armani 1997.jpgGianAngelo 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.

File:Jensen Huang at Computex Taipei 20160531c.jpgNVIDIA 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”.

File:Larry Page in the European Parliament, 17.06.2009.jpgMarcin Mycielski, European Parliament (Stansfield), Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Michael Bloomberg COP21 2015-12-05.jpgUNclimatechange 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.

File:Alice Walton portrait.jpgStephen 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.

File:Flickr - World Economic Forum - Ambani.jpgWorld Economic Forum from Cologny, Switzerland, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Sergey Brin (50910683).jpgJD 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.

File:Steve Ballmer MWC 2010.jpgAanjhan 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.

Francoise Bettencourt MeyersPalmares des Prix scientifiques | Fondation Bettencourt Schueller 2020 by Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

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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.

File:Jim Goodnight.jpgWorld 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.

File:StephenSchwarzman.jpgCopyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org), swiss-image.ch/Photo by Remy Steinegger, Wikimedia Commons

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.

File:2000 Ted Turner (29902987051).jpgINTX: The Internet & Television Expo, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Web Summit 2018 - Centre Stage - Day 2, November 7 DSC 5221 (44855003985).jpgWeb Summit, Wikimedia Commons

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. 

File:TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2016 - Day 2.jpgTechCrunch, Wikimedia Commons

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.

File:Sam Walton (1992).jpgPhoto credit: George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons

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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. 

File:Kampradlectur.jpgCelsius~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.

File:Howard Schultz (46882709962).jpgGage 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.

File:Liu Qiangdong.jpgWorld Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Eugene Kaspersky.jpgKaspersky 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 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.

File:Azim Premji - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2009.jpgMonikia Flueckiger , World Economic Forum, Wikimedia Commons

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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. 

Dietrich MateschitzEv. Safronov, Shutterstock

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.

File:Peter Thiel (51876366008).jpgGage 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. 

ArmaniSigfried Rodig, Wikimedia Commons

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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.

File:Michael Kors Fall-Winter 2010 233 (cropped).jpgMasaki-H, Wikimedia Commons

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. 

File:Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen 2018.jpgLegoland 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.

Zong QinghouInterview with Zong Qinghou, founder of Hangzhou Wahaha Group by CGTN

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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.

File:Bjørn Kjos 2006-08-17.jpgNorwegian 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. 

File:Markus Persson at GDC 2011.jpgOfficial 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. 

File:Lei Jun at Two Sessions 2025.pngChina News Service , Wikimedia Commons

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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. 

File:Wang Chuanfu IAA 2023 1X7A0154.jpgAlexander-93, Wikimedia Commons


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