Seven Indian-Americans in Forbes\' list of richest people in US
NEW YORK:
Seven
Indian-
Americans have figured
in
Forbe'
list
of
richest Americans, topped by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for the third year
in a row.
The 2020
Forbes
list
of 400
Richest
People
in America has been topped by Bezos, 56 who has a net worth
of USD 179 billion and has occupied the spot
of the
richest person
in the
US for the third year
in a row.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Cofounder Bill Gates is ranked second on the
list with a net worth
of USD 111 billion.
The
richest
people
in the
US saw their wealth swell despite the coronavirus pandemic's devastated impact on the economy .
“Pandemic be damned: America's 400
richest are worth a record USD 3.2 trillion, up USD 240 billion from a year ago, aided by a stock market that has defied the virus…Even
in these trying times mega-fortunes are still being minted,”
Forbes said.
The
list has
seven
Indian-
Americans - cybersecurity firm ZScaler CEO Jay Chaudhry, Founder and Chairman
of Symphony Technology Group Romesh Wadhwani, cofounder and CEO
of online home goods retailer Wayfair Niraj Shah, Silicon Valley venture capital firm Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla, Managing Partner
of Sherpalo Ventures Kavitark Ram Shriram, Airline veteran Rakesh Gangwal and Workday CEO and Cofounder Aneel Bhusri.
Rounding out the top five on the
list are Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on the third spot with a net worth
of USD 85 billion, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, ranked 4th and with a net worth
of USD 73.5 billion and chairman, chief technology officer and cofounder
of software giant Oracle Larry Ellison, ranked 5th with a new worth
of USD 72 billion.
President Donald Trump is ranked 339th on the
list with a net worth
of USD 2.5 billion.
Chaudhry, 61 is ranked 85th on the
list with a net worth
of USD 6.9 billion. He founded ZScaler
in 2008 and the company went public
in March 2018.
Forbes said
in 1996, Chaudhry and his wife, Jyoti, both quit their jobs and put their life savings to start cybersecurity firm SecureIT, his first startup.
Wadhwani, 73 has been ranked 238th on the
list and has a net worth
of USD 3.4 billion. His Symphony Technology Group brings
in USD 2.5 billion
in annual revenues and Wadhwani combined nine
of his companies that were AI-focused into a new group called SymphonyAI
in 2017,
Forbes said.
An alumnus
of Indian Institute
of Technology and Carnegie Mellon,
Forbes said the serial entrepreneur founded Aspect Development, which i2 Technologies acquired for USD 9.3 billion
in stock
in 1999.
Romesh and his brother, Sunil, founded the Wadhwani Institute
of Artificial Intelligence at the University
of Mumbai
in 2018, committing over USD 30 million.
On the 299th spot is Shah, 46, who has a net worth
of USD 2.8 billion. Shah started the business
in 2002 with Steve Conine, who is also a billionaire.
Wayfair, which now offers more than 18 million products, generated USD 9.1 billion
in net revenue
in 2019, up 35 per cent from the previous year,
Forbes said.
Khosla, 65 is ranked 353rd with a net worth
of USD 2.4 billion. Khosla cofounded computer hardware firm Sun Microsystems
in 1982 and spent 18 years at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers before launching his own fund.
In June 2019, Khosla said he believes artificial intelligence could replace traditional industries such as radiology and music,
Forbes added.
On the 359th spot is Shriram, 63, who has a net worth
of USD 2.3 billion.
Forbes said an early Google backer, Shriram has sold off most
of his stock but remains on the board
of its parent company, Alphabet.
Born
in India, Shriram studied math at the University
of Madras. His portfolio includes online invitation service Paperless Post, online HR service provider Gusto and mobile advertising company InMobi.
Gangwal, 67 is ranked 359th on the
list and has a net worth
of USD 2.3 billion.
Forbes said Gangwal made his fortune from InterGlobe Aviation, the parent outfit
of budget airline IndiGo, India's largest by market share. Gangwal cofounded IndiGo, headquartered outside Delhi, with Rahul Bhatia
in 2006 with one aircraft, it said.
On the 359th spot is Bhusri with a net worth
of USD 2.3 billion. Bhusri is CEO
of business software firm Workday, which he cofounded with Dave Duffield, the founder
of PeopleSoft.
Bhusri started his career
in the early 1990s at business software firm PeopleSoft, where he rose to become vice chairman. Bhusri has been on the
Forbes Midas
List six times since 2008 and
in May 2018, Bhusri joined the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the world's wealthiest
people to dedicate the majority
of their wealth to philanthropy,
Forbes said.