The 25 Richest Billionaires Who Aren’t in Tech

For founders and CEOs, technology has been one of the most lucrative industries for years. Dating back to the dot-com bubble days, tech companies have come with incredibly high price tags. While valuations proved to be a bit too optimistic back then, tech remains one of the most valuable sectors in the world.

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Of course, the American dream didn’t start with tech. Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller began building a massive fortune in the 19th century, long before tech came into the picture. In fact, Rockefeller’s net worth was about $400 billion in today’s dollars, making him far wealthier than anyone in tech today.

Things have changed quite a bit since the days of Rockefeller, but there are still dozens of billionaires who built their wealth without being part of the tech revolution. Two of them are in the top 10, among the world’s richest, and all of the billionaires in this gallery are in the top 50.

From clothing to pharmaceuticals to media, tech isn’t the only field that can make people rich. Here are 25 billionaires who built their wealth the old-fashioned way.

25. Lee Shau Kee

• Net worth: $33.1 billion
• Age: 93
• Source of wealth: Real estate
• Country/territory: Hong Kong
• Overall wealth rank: 44

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24. Miriam Adelson

• Net worth: $33.2 billion
• Age: 75
• Source of wealth: Casinos
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 43

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23. Gerard Wertheimer

• Net worth: $34.1 billion
• Age: 70
• Source of wealth: Chanel
• Country/territory: France
• Overall wealth rank: 40

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22. Alain Wertheimer

• Net worth: $34.1 billion
• Age: 72
• Source of wealth: Chanel
• Country/territory: France
• Overall wealth rank: 40

21. Giovanni Ferrero

• Net worth: $35 billion
• Age: 56
• Source of wealth: Nutella, chocolates
• Country/territory: Italy
• Overall wealth rank: 38

20. Li Ka-shing

• Net worth: $35.8 billion
• Age: 93
• Source of wealth: Diversified
• Country/territory: Hong Kong
• Overall wealth rank: 36

19. Klaus-Michael Kuehne

• Net worth: $36.4 billion
• Age: 84
• Source of wealth: Shipping
• Country/territory: Germany
• Overall wealth rank: 35

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18. Tadashi Yanai & Family

• Net worth: $36.8 billion
• Age: 72
• Source of wealth: Fashion retail
• Country/territory: Japan
• Overall wealth rank: 34

17. Daniel Gilbert

• Net worth: $38.3 billion
• Age: 59
• Source of wealth: Quicken Loans
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 33

16. Beate Heister & Karl Albrecht Jr.

• Net worth: $42.4 billion
• Age: N/A
• Source of wealth: Supermarkets
• Country/territory: Germany
• Overall wealth rank: 31

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15. Julia Koch & Family

• Net worth: $46.2 billion
• Age: 59
• Source of wealth: Koch Industries
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 28

14. Charles Koch

• Net worth: $46.2 billion
• Age: 85
• Source of wealth: Koch Industries
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 28

13. David Thomson & Family

• Net worth: $46.7 billion
• Age: 64
• Source of wealth: Media
• Country/territory: Canada
• Overall wealth rank: 27

12. François Pinault & Family

• Net worth: $55.2 billion
• Age: 84
• Source of wealth: Luxury goods
• Country/territory: France
• Overall wealth rank: 23

11. Gautam Adani & Family

• Net worth: $56.2 billion
• Age: 59
• Source of wealth: Infrastructure, commodities
• Country/territory: India
• Overall wealth rank: 22

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10. Phil Knight & Family

• Net worth: $58.7 billion
• Age: 83
• Source of wealth: Nike
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 21

9. Rob Walton

• Net worth: $63.3 billion
• Age: 76
• Source of wealth: Walmart
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 18

8. Alice Walton

• Net worth: $63.8 billion
• Age: 71
• Source of wealth: Walmart
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 17

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7. Jim Walton

• Net worth: $64.1 billion
• Age: 73
• Source of wealth: Walmart
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 16

6. Zhong Shanshan

• Net worth: $71.8 billion
• Age: 66
• Source of wealth: Beverages, pharmaceuticals
• Country/territory: China
• Overall wealth rank: 14

5. Mukesh Ambani

• Net worth: $79.1 billion
• Age: 64
• Source of wealth: Diversified
• Country/territory: India
• Overall wealth rank: 13

4. Amancio Ortega

• Net worth: $81.2 billion
• Age: 85
• Source of wealth: Zara
• Country/territory: Spain
• Overall wealth rank: 12

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3. Francoise Bettencourt Myers & Family

• Net worth: $88 billion
• Age: 68
• Source of wealth: L'Oréal
• Country/territory: France
• Overall wealth rank: 10

2. Warren Buffett

• Net worth: $101.5 billion
• Age: 90
• Source of wealth: Berkshire Hathaway
• Country/territory: United States
• Overall wealth rank: 9

1. Bernard Arnault & Family

• Net worth: $190.3 billion
• Age: 72
• Source of wealth: LVMH
• Country/territory: France
• Overall wealth rank: 2

Methodology: For this support piece GOBankingRates looked at Forbes’ “Real Time Billionaire” tracker as of markets closed on July 12, 2021. For the 25 richest billionaires that were not in tech, GOBankingRates found: (1) name of billionaire; (2) net worth as of July 12, 2021; (3) age; (4) source of wealth; (5) country/territory of billionaire; and (6) overall wealth rank. All data was collected and is up to date as of July 12, 2021.

About the Author

Bob Haegele

Bob Haegele is a personal finance writer who specializes in topics such as investing, banking, credit cards, and real estate. His work has been featured on The Ladders, The Good Men Project, and Small Biz Daily. He also co-runs Modest Money and is a dog sitter and walker.

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