17 Super-Rich Billionaires Who Came From Nothing.

A Thread 🧵

1. J.K Rowling: $1 billion

The world's first billionaire author, JK Rowling has accumulated her massive net worth through the world-famous Harry Potter book series. 

Before her first novel was published in 1997, Rowling lived in relative poverty, recovering from the death of her mother and a recent divorce.

2. Guy Laliberté: $1.2 billion

In 1984 he co-founded Cirque du Soleil with a group of colleagues, and what was originally meant to be a one-year project became a global phenomenon. By 2020 Laliberté had sold 100% of his stock in the company, making a fortune in the process. 

He's currently worth $1.2 billion.

3. Jay-Z: $2.5 billion

Named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe last year, Jay-Z has amassed a fortune of $2.5 billion through his music career and business empire.

His big break came in 1998 with his first major hit "Hard Knock Life," kickstarting a super-successful career as a rapper and entrepreneur.

4. Howard Schultz: $2.9 billion

After college, he worked as a door-to-door salesman before joining a European homewares company. One of its clients was a little-known coffee shop in Seattle called Starbucks. 

Not long after, Schultz took over the business and turned it into the global coffee chain it is today. 

He's currently worth $2.9 billion.

5. Oprah Winfrey: $3 billion

At just 19, she became the first African-American TV correspondent in the state and went on to host her own show, produce a magazine, and start her own network. 

Winfrey is worth $3 billion today.

6. George Soros: $6.7 billion

In the late 1940s, he escaped to London where he worked two jobs as a waiter and railway porter to put himself through the London School of Economics. In 1992, he reportedly made $1 billion by shorting the British pound and became known as the man who broke the Bank of England. 

Today, he's worth $6.7 billion.

7. Steve Bisciotti: $6.9 billion

After graduating, he and his cousin launched the staffing company Aerotek, working out of a basement with second-hand equipment. The business quickly grew into the Allegis Group, now a multibillion-dollar company.

That's earned Bisciotti a fortune of $6.9 billion.

8. Rocco Commisso: $7.5 billion

After graduating with an MBA from Columbia Business School, he started working at Chase Manhattan Bank, now JPMorgan Chase, before founding cable company Mediacom in 1995. 

Almost 30 years on, Commisso has a net worth of $7.5 billion.

9. Ken Langone: $8.7 billion

Once there, Langone worked as a caddy, butcher, and ditch digger to stay afloat, before joining a financial services company on Wall Street. He made an early investment in Home Depot in 1978, and the rest is history. 

Today, he’s worth $8.7 billion.

10. Ralph Lauren: $9.2 billion

He's achieved that goal and then some. Lauren has amassed a net worth of $9.2 billion thanks to his eponymous fashion house, which all started when he designed a line of neckties that was accepted by Bloomingdale's in the late 1960s.

11. Roman Abramovich: $9.7 billion

Orphaned at age two, he was raised by his extended family. 

After leaving school he started his own company producing plastic toys with his first wife Olga Lysova, before moving into the oil business and even pig farms. Despite sanctions, Abramovich and his family are still thought to be worth a hefty $9.7 billion.

12. Shahid Khan: $12 billion

He bought auto parts firm Flex-N-Gate in 1980 after previously working at the company and designing a one-piece truck bumper that was hugely successful.

Today, he owns the US NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the British soccer team Fulham, and is worth a staggering $12 billion. 

13. Jan Koum: $16.1 billion

Despite his tough upbringing, Koum worked hard at school, and in 2009, he co-founded the real-time messaging service WhatsApp. 

The app was so successful that Facebook bought it for a massive $19.6 billion in 2014. 

Today, Koum is worth $16.1 billion.

14. Harold Hamm: $18.5 billion

From milking cows and gathering eggs to picking cotton and helping out at a gas station, Hamm worked odd jobs and managed to save enough money to buy a water pump truck when he was 20 years old. That was just the beginning.

After transporting water to and from oil fields, Hamm went on to create Continental Resources, an oil and gas company that’s since netted him and his family a fortune of $18.5 billion.

15. François Pinault: $25.8 billion

The Frenchman went on to start Kering (formerly PPR), a luxury fashion conglomerate that now owns brands including Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Alexander McQueen.

His family is now worth $25.6 billion.

16. Li Ka-Shing: $35.8 billion

Growing up in Hong Kong, Li’s father died when he was just 15, forcing him to leave school and work 16-hour days in a plastics factory to support his family.

This gave him the drive to start his own company, Cheung Kong Industries, which initially made plastics. 

He eventually moved into real estate and is now worth $35.8 billion. 

17. Larry Ellison: $153.1 billion

In 1977, after years of struggling, he founded the software company Oracle. The business went on to become one of the largest technology companies in the world, and Ellison, claims he had all the disadvantages necessary for success. 

Now worth a staggering $153.1 billion.