To survive in an extremely competitive tech industry, it must be an achievement in itself. But this tech giant not only survived, but succeeded. These self-made tech billionaires continue to dominate the lists of the world’s richest people.
But who is this tech giant?
Well, if you’ve ever surfed the web, you’re probably familiar with a few of these names. However, many of these are newcomers to the rankings based on social media and mobile technology markets.
Read and find out about the tech tycoons who are the starters and shakers of today’s tech industry.
- Bill Gates
Current Role: Co-Founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill Gates is considered the richest man in the tech industry. Dropping out of Harvard University made billions of dollars. In 1975 he re-founded Microsoft Software. Together with Paul Allen, he currently co-manages the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and his wife Melinda, and serves as a member of the Microsoft Board of Directors.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $84.5 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $89.3 Billion
- Jeff Bezos
Current Role: CEO / Founder of Amazon.com
In July 2017, Jeff Bezos briefly knocked on Bill Gates, making him the richest man in the world . Amazon’s CEO and founder, Bezos amassed his fortune when he first introduced and revolutionized the concept of e-commerce. When Amazon first started in 1994, he worked in a garage in his Seattle home and was an online bookstore. Since then, the company has grown into an e-commerce magnate selling everything from fashion to consumer electronics.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $81.7 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $94.8 Billion
- Mark Zuckerberg
Current Role: Facebook Co-Founder/Chairman/CEO
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Another Harvard University dropout, Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the lowest self-employed. When Zuckerberg re-founded Facebook in 2004, he was 19 (!). Originally developed for Harvard students to match names and class faces, the company has since become a social media platform with the largest user base in the world.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $69.6 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $74 Billion
- Larry Ellison
Current Role: CTO / Founder of Oracle
Larry Ellison, along with two other colleagues, founded the programming company Oracle Corp in 1977. The company generated most of its revenue from developing software that supports CIA projects and customer relationship management databases. Although Ellison resigned as CEO in 2014, he continues to serve as chairman of Oracle’s board of directors and chief technology officer (CTO).
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $59.3 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $60.1 Billion
- Larry Page
Current Role: Alphabet CEO
It was developed in 1998 by Stanford University student Larry Page in a team with classmate Sergey Brin. BackRub , a prototype search engine for the Internet. The project was eventually transformed into Google, the most ubiquitous search engine of the modern era. He is Helms Alphabet, currently overseeing Google and related ventures such as Nest, Calico and Google X.
Tech Industry Net Worth: $43.9 Billion
Real Time Net Worth: $48.6 Billion
- Sergey Brin
Current Role: Alphabet President
Sergey Brin, together with Larry Page, made Google the company it is today. Brin played a key role in facilitating a massive restructuring of Google in 2015, placing the search engine company in Alphabet’s holding company. With Alphabet, he continues to explore new “moonshot” projects and ideas, such as creating automated homes and self-driving vehicles.
- Sergey Brin Net Worth: $42.7 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $47.3 Billion
- Jack Ma
Current Role: Founder/Chairman, Alibaba Group
Jack Ma, founder of China’s largest e-commerce company, currently holds the title of China’s richest man with Alibaba Group. When the Alibaba Group went public in New York in 2014, its initial public offering was a whopping $25 billion (!), making it the largest e-commerce company ever.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $37.4 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $40 Billion
- Ma Huateng
Current Role: Chairman/CEO, Tencent Holdings
Software engineer Ma Huateng (or Pony Ma) was immersed in the tech industry when he founded Tencent Holdings, China’s largest internet portal, in 1998. Some of the successful startups he created at Tencent Holdings include QQ, an instant messaging service. Wechat is a mobile texting service with over 900 million users. Tencent Games, China’s largest online gaming community.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $36.7 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $43.3 Billion
- Steve Ballmer
Current Role: Owner of Los Angeles Clippers
Steve Ballmer called Microsoft’s “number” to become the company’s 30 and their first business manager in 1980. He made Bill Gates the CEO of 2000 companies, increasing revenues by 294% and by 181%. He stepped down as CEO in 2014 and is currently the owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $32.9 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $36.5 Billion
- Michael Dell
Current Role: Dell Chairman/CEO
Michael Dell, founder of a computer company named after him, received a lot of money from Dell Technologies. Dell’s merger with computer storage giant EMC makes largest tech acquisition possible and could generate $6 billion in revenue He holds 70 shares of the company and serves as Chairman and CEO.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $22.4 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $23.5 Billion
- Son Masayoshi
Current role: CEO of Softbank
Masayoshi Son, the wealthiest man in Japan, founded and headed the mobile communications and investment firm Softbank. With Softbank, Son has amassed an impressive portfolio of investments in companies such as Sprint, Grab Taxi, Didi Chuxing and stakes in Yahoo Japan.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $22.4 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $23.6 Billion
- Elon Musk
Current Role: CEO / Chairman of Tesla
Elon Musk excelled in the tech industry when he co-founded PayPal, which was later acquired by eBay for $1.4 billion in 2002. He launched SpaceX, a rocket company from Tesla Motors, which is focused on producing all-electric vehicles for the mass market, and Musk, which is worth more than $2 billion.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $20.7 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $19.7 Billion
- Paul Allen
Current Role: Owner of Portland Trailblazers and Seattle Seahawks
Paul Allen co-founded software giant Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. He left 8 years after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. He eventually overcame the disease and devotes his time to managing professional sports franchises, including the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $20.5 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $20.7 Billion
- Lee Kun-hee
Current position: Chairman of Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee made this list despite some turbulent ordeals. Lee suffered a heart attack in 2014 and was admitted to Samsung Hospital in Seoul while his son Jay Y. was arrested, charged and imprisoned for bribes in 2017. Nevertheless, the electronics giants occupy a leading position in the mobile market with their smartphones.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $18.3 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $21.7 Billion
- Azim Premier
Current role: Chairman of Wipro Limited
Tech magnate Azim Premji has led Wipro, India’s third largest outsourcing company, with estimated revenues of $9 billion. Originally a cooking oil company, Premji took over his family business in 1966 and expanded the company’s portfolio through software development. He currently serves as chairman and his son helps oversee Wipro’s $100 million venture capital fund.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $18.2 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $19.2 Billion
- William Ding
Current Role: Founder/CEO of Netease
One of the largest online gaming and mobile gaming businesses in the world, William Ding has amassed his fortune through China’s huge gaming market. He was the richest man in China and became his first internet and gaming billionaire in 2003. His company continues to grow to a total of $5.5 billion, with a 67% increase in sales in 2016.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $16.1 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $18 Billion
- Lee Robin
Current Role: Founder/CEO of Baidu
Baidu is China’s largest online search company and one of the most popular websites in the world. Li co-founded China’s Baidu in 2000 after leaving search engine company Infoseek. Baidu is one of the three largest BAT companies in China – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $15.8 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $16.9 Billion
- Shiv Nadar
Current Role: Founder/President HCL
Shiv Nadar pioneered the Indian IT industry when he discovered HCL in 1976. Nadar built calculators and microprocessors in his garage and later expanded it as a software service. HCL Technologies is currently the fourth largest software services provider in India, with revenues estimated at $7.5 billion.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $13.5 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $13.4 Billion
- Dustin Moskovitz
Current Role: CEO / Asana Co-Founder
Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 with Dustin Moskovitz (then roommate) of his Harvard dorm. Moskovitz left the company in 2008 and founded Asana, a workflow software company. Most of his net worth comes from Facebook. Facebook still owns 3 shares.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $13.3 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $14.2 Billion
- Hasso Plattner
Current Role: Chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board
Former IBM employee Hasso Plattner left in 1972 along with four other colleagues to start a German software company, Software, Applications, Products (SAP). SAP is the market leader in B2B with annual turnover exceeding $2 billion. Plattner stepped down as CEO in 2003 and continues to chair the SAP Supervisory Board.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $12.6 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $13.3 Billion
- Zhang Zhidong
Current Role: Co-Founder of Tencent Holdings
Zhang Zhidong, also known as Tony Zhang, is one of the founders of Tencent Holdings, the largest gaming and social media conglomerate in China. Zhidong spent most of his time with Tencent working as the company’s chief technology officer (CIO) until he left his industry in 2014.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $12.5 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $15 Billion
- Eric Schmidt
Current Role: Chairman of Google
Eric Schmidt previously joined Google as CEO of Novell and CTO of Sun Microsystems. Schmidt served as president from 2001 to 2011 before transitioning to chairman of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and serves as Google’s global ambassador.
- Tech Industry Net Worth: $12.4 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $13.5 Billion
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- Terry Gou
Current Role: CEO Hon Hai Precision
Hon Hai Precision is the world’s largest electronic contract manufacturer, led by Chairman and CEO Terry Gou. Gou’s company is better known as Foxconn. The company recently bought Japanese electronics maker Sharp and cell phone brand Nokia Nokia.
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- Tech Industry Net Worth: $10.2 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $9.6 Billion
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- Dietma Hope
Current Role: Founder Dietmar Hopp Stiftung
Dietmar Hopp started the German software company SAP in 1972 with Hasso Plattner and former colleagues at IBM. Hopp served as Co-CEO from 1988 to 1998 and then as Chairman of the Supervisory Board until 2003. He later retired in 2005 and shifted his focus to philanthropy with Dietmar Hopp Stiftung, who allocated $470 million for sports, medicine, education and social programs.
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- Tech Industry Net Worth: $10.2 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $10.6 Billion
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- Zhou Qunfei
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Current Role: Founder/CEO of Lens Technology
Zhou Qunfei, chairman of the flat glass supplier Lens Technology, is one of the richest women in the world. Zhou began her journey as an entrepreneur in 1993 when she worked in her apartment in Shenzhen with a small watch company. Lens technology customers include well-known technology companies such as Apple, Samsung and Huawei.
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- Tech Industry Net Worth: $10 Billion
- Real-time Net Worth: $12.2 Billion
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Final Words
The high-tech industry is a rapidly changing environment. With progress and breakthroughs at a fast pace, it’ll be interesting to see who’s left on the list of the most powerful tech giants, or who’s knocking.
