“A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.”
Well, at least that is what Napster founder Sean Parker (played by Justin Timberlake) says to a young Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) in “The Social Network,” David Fincher’s 2010 movie about the birth of Facebook.
Of course, a million dollars sounds plenty cool to most of us. Just think what we could do with all that money…
But there are people who have no intention of stopping with a million or even a lot of millions. They want a billion, or maybe even a lot of billions, and through various means — hard work, off-the-charts imagination, sheer luck — a surprising number actually achieve that goal.
As of this year, there are an estimated 756 billionaires in the United States, spread through 42 of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, according to World Population Review. California, home of Silicon Valley and much of the entertainment industry, has the most, with 186. The financial capital of New York comes next, with 135. (Apart from the eight states that are lacking them, here is a list of the city in every state with the most billionaires.)
To compile a list of America’s 50 richest (mostly) self-made billionaires, and how fast they earned their first billion, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a report on the subject published by SuperCasinoSites, an information and review site devoted to casino gaming around the world. Billionaires are ordered by how fast they made their first billion. All data is from the SuperCasinoSites report.
Click here to see America’s 50 richest self-made billionaires and how fast they got there.
Click here to see our detailed methodology.
Some of the fabulously wealthy folk on this list are household names, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and, yes, the aforementioned Zuckerberg. Others you may not have heard of, unless you are a regular reader of Forbes or Fortune (Autry Stephens? David Duffield?). Likewise, some of their companies are world famous, including Facebook, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Nike, the Dallas Cowboys. But would you be surprised to learn that the folks who run Harbor Freight Tools, Flex-N-Gate, and Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores are also on the list?
Inheritors aside, nobody becomes a billionaire overnight. But you might be surprised to learn how long it took some of the people named here to reach that status. For three of them, it took 40 years or more. The average is just over 21 years. Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, on the other hand, sailed right up to billionaire status in quick four years. (See who else, besides those two, counts as one of the 25 richest Americans of all time.)
Source: ffooter / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
50. Judy Love
> Company: Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 49
> Became a billionaire: 2013
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.20 billion
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images
49. Harold Hamm
> Company: Continental Resources
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 41
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $18.50 billion
48. Eric Smidt
> Company: Harbor Freight Tools
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 40
> Became a billionaire: 2017
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.30 billion
Source: Courtesy of Endeavor Energy Resources, LP. via Facebook
47. Autry Stephens
> Company: Endeavor Energy Resources
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 39
> Became a billionaire: 2018
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.00 billion
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Source: Tom Pennington / Getty Images
46. John Menard, Jr.
> Company: Menards
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 39
> Became a billionaire: 2001
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $19.50 billion
Source: Jim Rogash / Getty Images
45. Robert Kraft
> Company: Rand-Whitney Group
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 38
> Became a billionaire: 2006
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.60 billion
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44. Donald Bren
> Company: The Bren Company
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 38
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $17.40 billion
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Source: dbdurden / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
43. David Green
> Company: Greco Products
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 34
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $15.40 billion
42. Jeff Yass
> Company: Susquehanna
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 34
> Became a billionaire: 2021
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $28.90 billion
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41. Ray Dalio
> Company: Bridgewater Associates
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 33
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $19.10 billion
Source: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
40. Shahid Khan
> Company: Flex-N-Gate
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 32
> Became a billionaire: 2012
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $12.20 billion
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Source: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
39. Thomas Peterffy
> Company: T.P. & Co.
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 32
> Became a billionaire: 2010
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $27.70 billion
38. Israel Englander
> Company: I.A. Englander & Co.
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 30
> Became a billionaire: 2007
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $11.30 billion
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
37. Warren Buffett
> Company: Buffett Partnership
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 30
> Became a billionaire: 1986
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $117.50 billion
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
36. David Duffield
> Company: Information Associates
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 28
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $12.50 billion
35. Thomas Frist, Jr.
> Company: HCA Healthcare
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 28
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $21.80 billion
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34. Jim Simons
> Company: Renaissance Technologies
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 27
> Became a billionaire: 2005
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $28.10 billion
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33. Diane Hendricks
> Company: ABC Supply
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 26
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $15.70 billion
Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
32. Phil Knight
> Company: Nike
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 26
> Became a billionaire: 1990
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $42.40 billion
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31. Jensen Huang
> Company: Nvidia
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 24
> Became a billionaire: 2017
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $39.90 billion
30. Michael Rubin
> Company: KPR sports
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 23
> Became a billionaire: 2013
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $11.40 billion
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29. Daniel Gilbert
> Company: Rocket Mortgage
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 22
> Became a billionaire: 2007
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $22.70 billion
28. David Sun
> Company: Kingston Technology Corporation
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 21
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.30 billion
27. John Tu
> Company: Kingston Technology Corporation
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 21
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.30 billion
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26. John Doerr
> Company: Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 21
> Became a billionaire: 2001
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $12.00 billion
Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
25. Stephen Schwarzman
> Company: Blackstone Inc.
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 21
> Became a billionaire: 2006
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $32.00 billion
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Source: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images
24. Stanley Kroenke
> Company: The Kroenke Group
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 20
> Became a billionaire: 2003
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $12.90 billion
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
23. Jeffery Hildebrand
> Company: Hilcorp
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 19
> Became a billionaire: 2007
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $11.20 billion
Source: Araya Doheny / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
22. Len Blavatnik
> Company: Access Industries
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 18
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $33.30 billion
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Leon Black
> Company: Apollo Global Management
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 17
> Became a billionaire: 2007
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.50 billion
Source: Kimberly White / Getty Images News via Getty Images
20. Larry Ellison
> Company: Oracle
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 17
> Became a billionaire: 1994
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $143.90 billion
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19. Elon Musk
> Company: Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 17
> Became a billionaire: 2012
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $232.50 billion
Source: Larry Busacca / Getty Images
18. Ken Griffin
> Company: Citadel
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 16
> Became a billionaire: 2006
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $34.20 billion
Source: Sean Gallup / Getty Images News via Getty Images
17. Steve Ballmer
> Company: Microsoft
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 16
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $101.30 billion
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Source: Joe Robbins / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
16. Jerry Jones
> Company: Dallas Cowboys
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 15
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $13.60 billion
Source: Andrew Burton / Getty Images News via Getty Images
15. Michael Bloomberg
> Company: Bloomberg LP
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 15
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $94.50 billion
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Source: Scott Cunningham / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
14. David Tepper
> Company: Appaloosa Management
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 13
> Became a billionaire: 2006
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $18.50 billion
13. Steve Cohen
> Company: S.A.C. Capital Advisors
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 12
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $17.50 billion
12. Michael Dell
> Company: Dell
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 12
> Became a billionaire: 1996
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $63.30 billion
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Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
11. Bill Gates
> Company: Microsoft
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 12
> Became a billionaire: 1987
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $117.60 billion
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. Henry Samueli
> Company: Broadcom
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 9
> Became a billionaire: 2000
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.10 billion
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9. Eric Schmidt
> Company: Novell
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 8
> Became a billionaire: 2005
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $20.90 billion
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
8. Robert Pera
> Company: Ubiquiti Networks
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 7
> Became a billionaire: 2012
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $10.30 billion
Source: Araya Diaz / Getty Images
7. Dustin Moskovitz
> Company: Facebook
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 7
> Became a billionaire: 2011
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $13.30 billion
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Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
6. Brian Chesky
> Company: AirBnB
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 6
> Became a billionaire: 2014
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $11.20 billion
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
5. Sergey Brin
> Company: Google
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 6
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $103.00 billion
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
4. Larry Page
> Company: Google
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 6
> Became a billionaire: 2004
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $108.40 billion
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Source: David Ramos / Getty Images News via Getty Images
3. Jan Koum
> Company: WhatsApp
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 5
> Became a billionaire: 2014
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $14.30 billion
Source: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
2. Mark Zuckerberg
> Company: Facebook
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 4
> Became a billionaire: 2008
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $110.10 billion
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Source: Alex Wong / Getty Images News via Getty Images
1. Jeff Bezos
> Company: Amazon
> Years it took to become a billionaire: 4
> Became a billionaire: 1998
> Net worth as of Aug. 8, 2023: $162.10 billion
Methodology
To compile a list of America’s 50 richest (mostly) self-made billionaires and how fast they earned their first billion, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a report on the subject published by SuperCasinoSites, an information and review site devoted to casino gaming around the world. The site drew its list of billionaires and their net worth from the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list as of Aug. 8, 2023. Only those with a “self-made” score of 6 or above as per Forbes were included. Net worth was divided by the number of individuals appearing under the same profile.
SuperCasinoSites then determined the year during which a given individual reached billionaire status based on their net worth or their company’s total assets at the time. Data came from Forbes and Bloomberg (both past and present), as well as Finmasters, the Wayback Machine, YCharts, and annual reports of Nike and Oracle.
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