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Entrepreneur, engineer and industrial designer, Elon Musk, is famous as founder of the electronic payment firm PayPal, and the SpaceX spacecraft company. He is also the CEO of Tesla Motors. Elon Musk has plans to revolutionize transportation on earth as well as to space through futuristic technology.
Richard Branson is an English business magnate. The founder of Virgin Group Ltd., which controls over 400 companies, Branson was named on Time magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People in The World. Branson has also had a major impact as a philanthropist; he set up a charitable organization called Branson School of Entrepreneurship to provide entrepreneurial training to youngsters.
P. T. Barnum was an American politician, showman, and businessman. He is credited with founding the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus, which ran for 146 years. He is also credited with co-founding the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Steamboat Company, which is one of the oldest American ferry companies. His life and work have inspired many films, including The Greatest Showman.
Widely regarded as the richest person in modern history and the wealthiest American ever, John D. Rockefeller was a business magnate who founded the Standard Oil Company. He was America’s first billionaire. He also defined the structure of modern philanthropy as the foundations created by him had a major effect on scientific research, medicine, and education.
Ross Perot was the founder and CEO of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award and developed the Naval Academy’s honor system. He ran for president as an independent candidate and then established the Reform Party. He sold Perot to Dell for $3.9 billion.
Wolfgang Puck is an Austrian-American restaurateur. In 1973, Puck moved to the US and opened a restaurant named Spago in 1982. He then established himself as a respected restaurateur by opening several other restaurants. In 2013, he was inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame. Also an actor, Puck has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jessica Simpson is an American singer, fashion designer, and actress. Her journey from being a teen idol to a sex symbol has been quite inspirational so far. Also a well-known philanthropist, Jessica Simpson has worked with several nonprofit organizations, such as Make-A-Wish Foundation. She has also performed at many benefit concerts.
Rob Dyrdek is an American actor, producer, television personality, entrepreneur, and former professional skateboarder. He is credited with creating the popular animated TV series Wild Grinders where he voiced Lil Rob, the series' main character. A prominent skateboarder during his skateboarding career, Dyrdek was named by FoxWeekly in its list of the most influential skateboarders of all-time in 2014.
Tom Steyer is an American businessman, philanthropist, hedge fund manager, liberal activist, and environmentalist. He is credited with founding the popular investment firm Farallon Capital. He is also credited with co-founding OneCalifornia Bank, which later became Beneficial State Bank. Since 2012, Tom Steyer has focused on the environment and politics.
Christina Anstead is a real estate investor and TV personality, who is best known for starring in HGTV's show Flip or Flop. She once ran a real estate agency with her ex-husband, Tarek. Following their divorce, she married English TV presenter Ant Anstead. Currently, she hosts her own HGTV show Christina on the Coast.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has been the longest-tenured CEO of the organization. She has earlier contributed to the formation of Google and has served them as their VP of product management. The Harvard alumnus was ranked 16 on Forbes’s list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2011.
George Eastman revolutionized the world of photography with his Eastman Kodak Company and the roll film, which also came to be used in movies. Initially a banker, he later devoted himself to his camera company. A dedicated philanthropist, too, he contributed financially to music, dentistry, and medicine.
Roy Oliver Disney, older brother of Walt Disney, co-founded The Walt Disney Company and was its first CEO. He had also served in the U.S. Navy and had been a banker. He postponed his retirement plans following the death of Walt Disney and supervised the completion of Walt Disney World.
Merv Griffin was an American media mogul and television show host best known for hosting, The Merv Griffin Show, from 1965 to 1986. He is also credited with creating famous game shows, such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, through his TV production companies. For his contribution to TV, Merv Griffin was inducted posthumously into the Television Hall of Fame.
Arianna Huffington is a Greek-American author, businesswoman, and syndicated columnist. She is credited with co-founding the popular news aggregator and blog, The Huffington Post. She is also the founder of Thrive Global, for which she also serves as the CEO. She has been featured on lists, such as Time magazine's 100 most influential people and Forbes magazine's Most Powerful Women.
A successful activist investor, Nelson Peltz is the co-founder of Trian Fund Management, an alternative investment company. He also serves as the non-executive chairman of Wendy's Company, and director of Legg Mason, P&G, Sysco and The Madison Square Garden Company. A college dropout, he initially ran his family business. Later, he acquired many companies and became a successful businessman.
Best known for his role of Tony in Men Behaving Badly, English actor Neil Anthony Morrissey developed a love for acting while in school. He has played significant roles in various films and televise series like The Bounty, Bob the Builder, Waterloo Road, Line of Duty, and Boon. Also a successful businessperson, he now owns a chain of pubs in Staffordshire.
Tim Ferriss is an American podcaster, investor, author, and entrepreneur. He is credited with founding BodyQUICK, a nutritional supplements business, which is now known as BrainQUICKEN. Over the years, Ferriss has been an advisor and angel investor to several startups, such as StumbleUpon, Daily Burn, Shopify, and Evernote. Tim Ferriss has also donated money and raised funds for psychedelic research.
Hugo Boss was a German businessman and fashion designer. He is credited with founding one of the most popular fashion houses in the world, Hugo Boss AG. Apart from maintaining his business endeavors, Hugo Boss was also a member of the Nazi Party and remained loyal to the ideology of Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany.
George W. Romney was a Republican Party politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969. He was a front runner for the Republican nomination for president of US in the 1968 election, but he lost to Richard Nixon. Also a businessman, he was chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a Russian businessman and philanthropist. Currently, he is in exile and lives in London. In 2003, he was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia. The same year, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud. President Vladimir Putin pardoned him in 2013, following which he left on his exile.
Gautam Adani, the second-richest man in India, as of 2019, is the chairman of the Adani Group, which he established in 1988. The group specializes in port development and later diversified into logistics, agriculture, energy, and other areas. Adani and his wife, Priti, lead the non-profit Adani Foundation.
L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the world’s richest woman as of 2020, made headlines when she sued her mother, trying to prove she was mentally incompetent. In spite of being born into luxury, she often ditched parties, and took to writing books on Greek mythology and religious commentaries.
Born into luxury, the eldest son of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, Conrad Hilton Jr. was quite a playboy. Not only was he Elizabeth Taylor’s first husband, he also had an affair with his stepmother, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Addicted to alcohol and gambling, he died of a heart attack at 42.
Jose Andres is a Spanish-born American restaurateur and chef. Andrés, who owns restaurants in many American cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York City, Las Vegas, and Chicago, is credited with introducing the concept of small plates dining to America. Jose Andres was honored with the 2015 National Humanities Medal for founding a non-profit organization called World Central Kitchen.
Tommy Mottola is an American music executive and author. As the ex-CEO and chairman of Sony Music Entertainment, Mottola played an influential role in the world of music for nearly 15 years. He is currently serving as the chairman of Mottola Media Group. Mottola is credited with nurturing the careers of singers like Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Jessica Simpson.
Mike Lindell is an American entrepreneur, businessman, and conspiracy theorist. He is credited with founding a pillow, slipper, and bedding manufacturing company named My Pillow, Inc. for which he also serves as the CEO. A well-known philanthropist, Mike Lindell is also credited with founding a non-profit organization named Lindell Foundation which aims at helping drug addicts.
James A. Bailey was an American impresario and circus ringmaster. He is credited with co-founding one of the greatest circus companies of all time, Barnum and Bailey's Circus. A year after his death, his widow sold the circus to the Ringling brothers, resulting in the formation of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was an Indian investor and businessman. One of the richest businessmen in India, Jhunjhunwala was referred to as the King of Bull Market and the Warren Buffett of India. He served as the chairman of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Aptech Limited. He was a promoter of India's newest airline, Akasa Air.
