We all fantasize over what it would be like if we were super rich. But what do we know about people who actually are?
Let’s talk today about 8 Crazy Facts About the World’s Richest People.
Which famous billionaires are richer than the Queen of England? What rapper makes more money from fashion than music?
Which tech giant created his own video game at the age of just 9? Let’s see if you knew any of these facts regarding these celebrities.
1. Mark Zuckerberg Almost Worked For Microsoft.
We all know Mark Zuckerberg as the founder of Facebook. Sorry… ONE of the founders of Facebook. Worth an estimated $54 billion, this 35 year-old’s name evokes either love or hate depending on who you’re talking to. But despite your personal take on him, evolving the world of social media wasn’t his original agenda.
The truth is, Zuckerberg almost ended up working at Microsoft. Mark was always creative. Some would say he was a born-inventor. Raised in suburban New York, his road to entrepreneurship began at age 12, when he created a messaging program called ZuckNet.
In high school, he and a partner created a music app called Synapse Media Player. This would keep track of the listeners favorite music and make playlists based on their selections. When Microsoft got wind of this, they wished to purchase the app and hire Zuckerberg and co-creator Adam D’Angelo.
Instead, the two opted to go a different route. They put the app out for free and went to college. Now there’s doubt that Mark would still have been a rich man had he gone with Microsoft. But he wouldn’t have gone on to Harvard where he co-founded Facebook. And communication as we now know it today would not have existed.
2. J.K. Rowling… Richer than the Queen?
This British author has made many glorious achievements. Known worldwide as the creator of the Harry Potter universe, J.K. Rowling has been a force in the world of literature for almost a quarter century. Once rumoured to be worth an estimated $1.5 billion, there aren’t too many people that can surpass her wealth. But does that include British royalty?
It has been widely challenged for several years now. To put it into perspective, the Royal Family’s current net worth is estimated to be $88 billion, with Queen Elizabeth II’s said to be a measly $530 million. While J.K. denies being a part of the billion dollar club, her books have sold 500 million copies worldwide, racking in over $7.7 billion in sales.
The film series has also grossed $7.7 billion. With numbers like these, how could one not believe she is worth this much?
Let’s just go along with her claim and say she wasn’t a billionaire. If this is the case, expert sources estimate her personal worth to be around $650 million. Clearly not the billion dollar mark, but still richer than Queen Elizabeth.
She spent years as a struggling author only to become richer than her own country’s royalty. It’s like something out of a fairytale.
3. Jeff Bezos Makes Nearly $3000 Per Second.
If you’ve ever wondered how much the ultra-rich make with every tick of the clock, well here it is. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has an estimated net worth of $139 billion. With a fortune like that, you’d have to have one heck of a salary.
It’s been reported that Bezos earns $2.4 thousand every second. This is more than twice the median the average U.S. worker makes in a week. When you add it all up, that’s $149 thousand dollars every minute.
By the end of the year, his annual earnings come to around $78 billion! It’s safe to say the man could afford plenty of Amazon packages…
4. Most of Kanye’s Money Doesn’t Come From His Music.
We all know Kanye West as a music superstar whose career has spanned over two decades. Whether you love him or not, he’s by far one of the biggest selling artists of the new Millennium. Outside of releasing 10 multi-platinum albums, West has also experimented with fashion. These ventures have culminated in the rapper earning billionaire status.
That’s right, as of April 2020, Kanye reportedly has a personal net worth of $1.3 billion. Most of us would think that the majority of his wealth comes from his music, when actually it comes from his sneaker brand Yeezy, which was valued at $3 billion in 2019. As for his record label Good Music… just over $90 million.
According to sources, Kanye’s biggest assets include $81 million in property, as well as $21 million worth of land. Rapper, singer, producer, fashion designer. There’s no telling what’s next on his plate…
5. Bill Gates Would Have Worked In A.I.
When one thinks of excessive wealth, this man is normally the first person who comes to mind. You’d think Kanye would have written a song about him by now. It’s no secret that Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world. Actually, before our pal Bezos knocked him down a notch in 2017, he was actually the richest.
But despite now being in second place, Gates’ net worth is estimated to be over $100 billion. While he will go down in the history books as a co-founder of Microsoft, Bill, much like Mark Zuckerberg, would have chosen a different career had faith not stepped in the way.
Bill Gates has stated that he would have become a researcher of artificial intelligence, aiming to be part of the group concerned with “super intelligence”. While he has expressed interest in A.I. over the years, software development became the path he would ultimately take.
6. Tim Cook Doesn’t Like the Lavish Life.
Business man and industrial engineer Tim Cook was made chief executive of Apple Inc. just before the untimely death of co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011. With a title such as that, you would think Cook had billions to his name. While Apple is indeed a trillion dollar company, Cook himself is only worth $635 million. I know, to any of us, that’s enough to retire a million times over and then some.
But compared to others tech wizards we’ve covered on this list, a fortune in the hundreds of millions is relative chump change. Sources claim as of 2017, Cook’s salary as CEO was $3 million a year. While it may not be as much as others, it’s a massive increase from his starting salary of $900 thousand in 2011.
Tim lives a fairly modest lifestyle for somebody that wealthy. Despite keeping most of his life private, he is reported to buy underwear from a semi annual sale at Nordstrom. Citing the reason for buying small, Cook wants to be reminded of where he came from. The Alabama native explains that placing himself in modest surroundings helps him do that.
7. Warren Buffett Made His First Fortune at 16.
Much like Mr. Gates, Warren Buffet is another name synonymous with “filthy rich”. There’s probably a lifetime of interesting facts you could reveal about the 89 year-old, but for this video, let’s go back to the beginning.
Warren Buffett is a business tycoon with an estimated net worth of $88 billion. As American CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, his first fortune was amassed at age 16, in the form of $53 thousand. This was the culmination of years of hard work. As a child, Warren would travel around his neighborhood selling packs of gum for a nickel.
He even bought his first stock at 11, purchasing $115 in Cities Service Preferred. That kind of ambition is what leads people to success beyond their wildest dreams.
8. Elon Musk Made a Computer Game at Age 9.
That’s right, technological entrepreneur Elon Musk is among the most famous billionaires of the modern world. From Neuralink, to Space X, to Tesla Inc, this South African tech giant has his eyes set on the future. Just listening to his theories on extraterrestrial life has you ready to hop in a rocket ship yourself.
Similar to our pal Buffett, his journey started young. But instead of selling packs of gum or investing in stocks, Elon was becoming a computer programmer. And he wasn’t even 10 years old when he started. The product of this research and work was a space-themed PC game called Blastar.
By the age of 12, he sold code for the game at $500. What’s even crazier, you can still play Blastar online to this day.
What famous billionaire are you envious of? Did you know everyone on this list?
