In this article, we will take a look at the 25 richest people in the world who own publicly traded companies. If you want to see more richest people in the world who own publicly traded companies, go directly to 5 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies.
Family owned businesses are businesses are where the the founder or the family of the founder owns a substantial share of the company and can influence important decisions, especially as it relates to the company's Chairman and CEO positions.
In some ways, family owned businesses have their advantages. Because they have substantial influence, family owned businesses can often make important decisions faster than a non-family CEO given there is less resistance. Family owned businesses can also plan more for the long term rather than focusing on short term metrics if the owner chooses to do so.
By definition, many tech startups are family owned given that their founders own a substantial share of the company and exercise a lot of influence. With the growth in the tech industry over the past few decades, some family owned companies have grown substantially and many of the founders rank among the world's richest people. Perhaps the best example of this would be billionaire Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) who founded the company before handing off control to current CEO Andy Jassy. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) did not make much profits for many years to gain more market share under Bezos.
Some of the leading companies in emerging markets are also family owned. In India, billionaire Gautam Adani runs Adani Group while billionaire Mukesh Ambani continues to steer the giant company that is Reliance Industries.
It should be said that being able to make decisions faster and focusing more on the long term can send stocks lower too. Because billionaire Mark Zuckerberg has the majority voting control of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), he has been able to invest tens of billions into the metaverse which the market has not liked in the near term and is one reason why the stock is lower.
In terms of the world's richest people, 2022 has been a challenging year as the Federal Reserve has increased interest rates six times so far. With higher rates, the broader market has declined. Nevertheless, the richest people in the world who own publicly traded companies still rank among the world's wealthiest.
For their net worth, we used Forbes' data, which is their net worth as of 4/5/22.
25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies
25. François Pinault
Net Worth: $40.4 billion
Public Company: Kering
François Pinault is a French billionaire who founded luxury powerhouse Kering which owns brands such as Gucci and Balenciaga. Although Kering isn't listed in the United States, the company is listed in Europe and is a member of the prestigious Euro Stoxx 50 index. For 2021, Kering had sales of €17,645 of which the brands Gucci accounted for 57%, Saint Laurent accounted for 15%, and Bottega Veneta ccounted for 9%.
MacKenzie Scott was the wife of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) founder Jeff Bezos before their divorce in 2019. Due to the terms of their divorce, Scott owns substantial shares in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), which is the leading e-commerce and cloud company in the world. With a net worth of $43.6 billion, Scott has signed the Giving Pledge and has promised to donate her fortune to charity. As of early March 2022, Scott has already donated more than $12 billion since 2020.
23. Robin Zeng
Net Worth: $44.8 billion
Public Company: Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)
Robin Zeng is the founder of the Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) which is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange. Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) makes batteries for electric passenger cars, electric buses, and electric logistics cars. Given Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)'s scale, the company is worth over $133 billion as of December 1 and Robin Zeng has a net worth of $44.8 billion as of April 2022.
Phil Knight is the founder of sportswear powerhouse NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE). Although high inflation has lowered demand for NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) in 2022, the company is still worth over $173 billion and Phil Knight is one of the richest people in the world.
21. David Thomson
Net Worth: $49.2 billion
Public Company: Thomson Reuters Corporation (NYSE:TRI)
David Thomson is the chairman of Thomson Reuters Corporation. David Thomson's grandfather, Roy Thomson, founded their media empire and successive generations have helped grow it. As a result, David Thomson ranks #21 on our list of 25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies with a net worth of $49.2 billion.
20. Michael Dell
Net Worth: $55.1 billion
Public Company: Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
Michael Dell is the founder of Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) where he is chairman and CEO. Dell merged his computer company with computer storage giant EMC in 2016 in what was then the largest tech acquisition ever. Michael Dell is worth $55.1 billion as of April 2022.
19. Amancio Ortega
Net Worth: $59.6 billion
Public Company: Industria De Diseno Textil Inditex
Amancio Ortega is a Spanish billionaire who cofounded Spanish listed Inditex which is known for the fashion chain Zara. As a result of the company's success, Amancio Ortega is worth almost $60 billion. Zara specializes in fast fashion and sells clothing, accessories, and more.
Rob Walton is the eldest son of the founder of retailing giant Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Sam Walton. Given the family's substantial ownership stake in the company and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)'s market capitalization of over $416 billion as of December 1, Rob Walton is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Alice Walton is another member of the Wal-Mart family and the daughter of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) founder Sam Walton. Given the rise in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)'s stock since 2019, Alice Walton's net worth has increased from $44.4 billion in 2019 to $65.3 billion as of April 2022.
16. Zhong Shanshan
Net Worth: $65.7 billion
Public Company: Nongfu Spring
Zhong Shanshan is the chairman of Hong Kong listed bottled water company Nongfu Spring. Given his stake in the company, Zhong Shanshan is the richest person in China and ranks #16 on our list of 25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies.
Jim Walton is another member of the Wal-Mart family and the youngest son of the founder of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT). The Wal-Mart family owns around half of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)'s stock which gives Jim Walton a net worth of $66.2 billion.
14. Mark Zuckerberg
Net Worth: $67.3 billion
Public Company: Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). With the company's voting structure, Zuckerberg has majority voting control of Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) even though he only owns 13% of the company's stock. Given Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)'s market capitalization, Mark Zuckerberg is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $67.3 billion.
13. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Net Worth: $74.8 billion
Public Company: L'Oreal
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of the founder of beauty giant L'Oreal. Listed in Paris, L'Oreal is one of the most valuable companies in the world with a market capitalization of €192.04 billion. With a net worth of $74.8 billion as of April 2022, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is the richest woman in the world.
12. Carlos Slim Helu
Net Worth: $81.2 billion
Public Company: América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:AMX)
Carlos Slim Helu is the chairman of América Móvil, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:AMX) which is Latin America's largest telecom. Given his stake in the company, Carlos Slim Helu ranks as #12 on our list of 25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies.
11. Gautam Adani
Net Worth: $90 billion
Public Company: Adani Group
Gautam Adani is the chairman of Indian listed conglomerate Adani Group which has seen its value increase over the years. Adani Group owns stakes in airports, power generation and transmission, real estate, and other assets in the growing nation. Gautam Adani has a net worth of $90 billion as of April 2022.
10. Mukesh Ambani
Net Worth: $90.7 billion
Public Company: Reliance Industries
Mukesh Ambani is Asia's richest man with a net worth of $90.7 billion as of April 2022. Mukesh Ambani chairs Indian listed Reliance Industries which has stakes in petrochemicals, telecom, and retail assets in the growing nation. For the future, Reliance is planning on investing $80 billion in the next 10 to 15 years on renewable energy.
9. Steve Ballmer
Net Worth: $91.4 billion
Public Company: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Steve Ballmer is a former CEO of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) who also helped founder Bill Gates grow the tech giant substantially over the years. Given Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) rally over the past three decades, Steve Ballmer is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $91.4 billion.
Larry Ellison is the chairman of Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ:ORCL) which is one of the leading software companies in the world. Given Ellison's stake in the company, he ranks #8 on our list of 25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies with a net worth of $106 billion.
Sergey Brin is one of the original founders of the search engine Google, which eventually became Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG). Given Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)'s huge market capitalization of over $1.31 trillion, Sergey Brin is one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Larry Page was also one of the original founders of search engine Google which later became Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG). Together Larry Page and Sergey Brin created Google's PageRank algorithm which was responsible for much of the company's early success. Given his stake in the tech giant, Larry Page ranks #6 on our list of 25 Richest People in the World Who Own Publicly Traded Companies.
