The technology industry has produced some of the world’s youngest billionaires in recent decades. With the massive growth and success of tech companies, it’s not surprising that some young entrepreneurs have managed to reach billionaire status at a very early age. Let’s take a look at some of the standout youngest billionaires in the tech sector.
Mark Zuckerberg
Perhaps the most well-known young tech billionaire is Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004 at the age of 19 while studying at Harvard University. The social media platform quickly became popular among college students before expanding to a wider audience.
In 2007, at just 23 years old, Zuckerberg became a billionaire after Microsoft purchased a 1.6% stake in Facebook for $240 million. Facebook eventually went public in 2012, instantly making Zuckerberg, then 28, one of the world’s youngest billionaires with a net worth around $20 billion. Today, at 38 years old, Zuckerberg is one of the wealthiest people in the world with an estimated net worth of $97 billion.
Dustin Moskovitz
Dustin Moskovitz was Facebook’s third employee and Zuckerberg’s Harvard roommate. He left Facebook in 2008 to co-found Asana, a work management platform. But thanks to his early stake in Facebook, Moskovitz became a billionaire in his mid-20s.
In fact, at just 26 years old, Moskovitz was the youngest self-made billionaire in the world in 2011, edging out Zuckerberg. His 2.34% stake in Facebook was worth over $1.3 billion at the time of the company’s IPO. Moskovitz has also signed the Giving Pledge, vowing to give away the majority of his wealth to philanthropic causes. He continues to build his fortune as CEO of Asana.
Bobby Murphy
In 2011, Bobby Murphy co-founded the social media app Snapchat alongside Evan Spiegel, who is also a young tech billionaire. Murphy developed the initial code for the disappearing photo and video messaging app while studying math and computational science at Stanford University.
Snapchat was an instant hit among teens and college students. In 2012, at just 23 years old, Murphy became a billionaire after Snapchat turned down a $3 billion buyout offer from Facebook. When Snap had its IPO in 2017, Murphy’s net worth was estimated at $2.1 billion. Still in his early 30s, Murphy’s current net worth is around $2.5 billion.
Adin Ross
Adin Ross is a rare example of a female tech billionaire. She founded the biotech company Theranos in 2003 at 19 years old while studying at Stanford. Theranos raised hundreds of millions in venture funding for its innovative blood testing technology. Holmes owned a 50% stake in the startup, making her a billionaire on paper by age 31 in 2015.
However, Theranos soon became embroiled in controversy after a Wall Street Journal investigation found flaws and inaccuracies in the company’s blood test technology. By 2016, Forbes revised Holmes’ net worth to zero as Theranos was sued by investors and Holmes was charged with criminal fraud. Holmes provides a cautionary tale of becoming a billionaire too fast and too early.
Nick D’Aloisio
Nick D’Aloisio stands out as one of the youngest self-made billionaires after selling his tech startup at just 17 years old. The British-Australian programmer created the news aggregation app Summly in 2011, while still in high school. The app used algorithms to condense news articles into summarized bullet points.
In 2013, Yahoo purchased Summly for $30 million. Just a teenager, the buyout made the news in tech circles for making D’Aloisio an instant millionaire. While his net worth has not crossed into billion territory yet, the Summly sale remains an impressive entrepreneurial success story. D’Aloisio continues to innovate in AI at his new startup Sphere.
The Rise of Young Billionaires
The technology industry has made it possible to earn enormous amounts of wealth at a very young age. But being a billionaire before your 30s also comes with risks, responsibilities, and challenges. For every success story, there are cautionary tales of those who stumbled.
Still, the ingenuity of young entrepreneurs has been crucial for innovations that define modern tech. The rise of billionaires under 40 highlights the lucrative opportunities within the sector. For today’s ambitious and talented teens and 20-somethings, the dream of following in the footsteps of the youngest tech billionaires remains very real.
