Becoming a billionaire is a milestone in life that if often associated with company founders, athletes and entertainment icons. Often times, becoming a billionaire happens late into a career or during a second or third act, with the milestone sometimes leading to becoming among the richest people in the world. Here's a look at what age and how long it took some of the most famous billionaires to reach the impressive milestone. What Happened:The world's richest person is Tesla Inc CEOElon Musk, but his success didn't happen overnight. Musk reached billionaire status at the age of 41 and isnow worth an estimated $244 billion. The ages of billionaires around the world have a wide range with some aged 19 making the list and others in their 90s. A recent listfrom Twitter accountAndrew Lokenauthhighlightedthe ages it took some of the world's most prominent people to reach billionaire status. Mark Zuckerberg(23): Facebook founder Zuckerberg is currentlyworth$188 billion, ranking as the fourth richest person in the world. As one of the co-founders of Facebook, now known asMeta Platforms IncMETA, Zuckerberg became a billionaire when the company soared in valuationprior to its IPO. In 2007, Zuckerberg became the youngest self-made billionaire at the time. Meta Platforms went public in 2012 leading to an increased wealth for Zuckerberg. Bill Gates(31): One of the founders ofMicrosoft CorpMSFT, Gates has been a billionaire for decades as the technology giant is one of the highest-valued companies in the world. In fact, Gates became the youngest-ever billionaire back in 1987 at the age of 31. Tiger Woods(33): Golf legend Woods became only thesecond athlete to ever be worth$1 billion byForbeswith the honor named in 2022. Woods has won more than$120 million in prize money while on the PGA Tour.
To hit billionaire status, Woods has seen his wealth gain over the years thanks to endorsem*nt deals, including one signed withNike IncNKE. Woods ended his partnership with Nike in early 2024 to launch a new apparel deal with TaylorMade for his new Sun Day Red brand.
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Rihanna(34): Singer and entrepreneur Rihannabecame a billionaireofficially in 2021 with Forbes estimating her wealth at $1.7 billion.
Rihanna is the co-founder of Fenty, which is a collaboration withLVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SALVMUYLVMHF. Rihanna's 50% stake in Fenty along with a stake in lingerie company Savage x Fenty has helped Rihanna's wealth soar above $1 billion.
Forbes currently estimates Rihanna is worth $1.4 billion.
Jeff Bezos(35): Founded as an online bookstore in 1994,Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN is now one of the world’s most valuable companies.
The company went public in 1997 and has soared in value, leading to Bezos being one of the richest people in the world. In 2020, Bezos became the first person in the world with a wealth of $200 billion.
Bloomberg currently lists Bezos with a wealth of $200 billion, ranking third in the world.
Mark Cuban(40): Entrepreneur and NBA team owner Mark Cuban sold his software consulting firm MicroSolutions at the age of 32 and made a $2 million profit. In 1999, Cubansold audio company Broadcast.comto Yahoo! for $5.7 billion.
Today, Cuban is working toimprove the high costof health care and prescription drugs for consumers, alongsideinvesting in new companieson "Shark Tank" and on his own.
Elon Musk(41): Many may be surprised to learn that the world's richest person didn't become a billionaire until the age of 41.
Tesla IncTSLA went public in 2010and has seen its stock soar in valuation over the last 13 years.
Musk first cracked the Forbes Billionaires list in 2012 with a wealth of $2 billion. Known best as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk added ownership of Twitter to his portfolio in 2022.
Musk is now worth an estimated $195 billion. With Tesla stock at all-time highs in 2021, Musk wasworth more than the valuationof every MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL team combined.
Oprah Winfrey(49): Known best as the queen of talk shows, Winfrey's show ran on television for 25 years. Winfrey has launched her own production company,Harpo Productions, and a cable channel called OWN, which was sold to Warner Bros. Discovery.
Winfrey enjoys a wealth of $2.5 billion according to Forbes and ranks as one of the richest self-made female billionaires.
Jay-Z,akaShawn Carter(50): In 2019, Jay-Z was named the first hip-hop billionaire by Forbes.
In the last several years, Jay-Z's wealth has soared thanks to deals done by liquor brands he founded that he has sold stakes to beverage giants. Forbes lists the wealth of Jay-Z at $2.5 billion.
Michael Jordan(51): One of the greatest athletes of all time, Michael Jordan made millions playing the game of basketball.
Perhaps equally or more impressive, Jordan has thrived off the court with endorsem*nt deals and team ownership to become the first athlete worth $1 billion. Jordan made $90 million during his time playing in the NBA.
Outside of basketball, Jordan has made billions in endorsem*nts from companies such asNike, Gatorade and Hanes.
The story of Jordan signing with Nike was eventurned into a major motion picture,highlighting the unique royalty-heavy deal he signed as a rookie.
Warren Buffett(56): Now 92 years old, Buffett is one of the oldest billionaires in the world with a wealth of $143 billion according to Bloomberg.
Known as the "Oracle of Omaha," Buffett is considered by many to be one of the greatest investors of all time. TheBerkshire Hathaway(NYSE:BRK)(NYSE:BRK) CEO didn't become a billionaire until the age of 56 and has been known to be a patient long-term approached investor, which also parallels his wealth.
In 2000,Buffett became the richest personin the world at $62 billion, knocking Gates off the top of the leaderboard after 13 consecutive years.
This article was previously published by Benzinga and has been updated.
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