Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of Emerson Collective, built one of the most influential platforms in modern philanthropy and impact investing after inheriting stakes in Apple and Disney. Through Emerson, she focuses on education, immigration, climate, journalism, and social change, while also serving as owner of The Atlantic and founder of College Track and XQ Institute. Her profile combines Silicon Valley wealth, media ownership, and long-term philanthropic influence.

Pat Stryker, granddaughter of Stryker Corporation founder Homer Stryker, inherited part of the family medical-device fortune and became one of Colorado’s most prominent billionaire philanthropists. She founded the Bohemian Foundation in 2001, focusing on music, arts, community programs, and civic causes, while keeping a relatively low public profile. Her influence is tied less to operating the family company than to philanthropy, political giving, and long-term community investment.

Melinda French Gates, one of the world’s most influential philanthropists, built her fortune through Microsoft and spent more than two decades co-leading the Gates Foundation. After leaving the foundation in 2024, she shifted her focus to independent giving through Pivotal Ventures, with a major emphasis on women, families, health, and economic power. Her career now stands at the intersection of technology wealth, global philanthropy, and women-focused social investment.

Larry Van Tuyl, former chairman and CEO of Van Tuyl Group, built one of America’s largest privately held auto dealership networks before selling the company to Berkshire Hathaway in 2015. The deal created Berkshire Hathaway Automotive and cemented Van Tuyl’s reputation as one of the most successful figures in U.S. car retail. Known for disciplined expansion and a low public profile, he later remained active through private investments and real estate.

Maurice Marciano, cofounder of Guess, helped build the Los Angeles denim label into a global fashion brand after launching it with his brothers in 1981. Known for his role in the company’s product, merchandising, and retail growth, he helped turn Guess’s fitted jeans and black-and-white advertising into defining symbols of 1980s and 1990s fashion. He later stepped back from the company’s board in 2023 and is also known as a major contemporary art collector and cofounder of the Marciano Art Foundation.

Gary Fegel, founder and chairman of GMF Capital, built his fortune first in commodities at Glencore and then through a single-family office investing across private equity, real estate, media, technology, and alternative assets. Since launching GMF Capital in 2013, he has turned it into a broad global investment platform with interests ranging from aviation and infrastructure to digital media, combining trader instincts with long-term asset ownership. Known for a low public profile and highly diversified approach, Fegel has emerged as one of the more discreet billionaires in modern private investing.

Jeffrey Soffer, chairman and CEO of Fontainebleau Development, is one of America’s most prominent luxury real estate developers, known for turning landmark hospitality and mixed-use assets into high-profile lifestyle destinations. A member of the Soffer family behind Aventura’s rise, he helped extend that legacy through marquee projects in South Florida and beyond, including the revival and expansion of the Fontainebleau brand. Known for bold scale, long-term control, and a taste for trophy assets, Soffer has remained a major force in hospitality-driven real estate.

Haim Saban, founder and CEO of Saban Capital Group, built a global fortune at the intersection of media, entertainment, and investing, rising from children’s television producer to billionaire dealmaker. Best known for creating Power Rangers and later extending his reach through major media and telecom investments, he has spent decades turning pop-culture success into broad financial influence. Saban remains one of the most prominent figures to bridge entertainment entrepreneurship and large-scale global investing.

Edward DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers and heir to a shopping center fortune, built a rare legacy spanning both real estate wealth and sports dominance. Best known for overseeing the 49ers’ dynasty years, during which the franchise won five Super Bowls, he also remained tied to one of America’s most prominent mall-developing families. Though later overshadowed by legal controversy, DeBartolo endures as one of the most consequential figures in modern NFL ownership.

Dwight Schar, founder of NVR, built one of America’s largest homebuilding companies by turning NVHomes and the later Ryan Homes combination into a dominant force in residential construction. After surviving a bruising bankruptcy in the early 1990s, he helped reshape the company into a highly efficient, asset-light operator and remained a major figure in U.S. housing long after stepping back from day-to-day leadership. Known for disciplined growth and significant philanthropy, Schar stands as one of the most successful fortunes in American homebuilding.

David Capobianco, founder, CEO, and managing partner of Five Point, built one of the most influential private investment firms focused on energy and infrastructure. Since founding the Houston-based firm in 2012, he has helped turn it into a major force in water midstream, land, and related infrastructure, while also extending its reach through ventures such as LandBridge. Known for disciplined dealmaking and long-term conviction in hard assets, Capobianco has emerged as a standout figure in the modern energy-infrastructure investing boom.

David MacNeil, founder and CEO of WeatherTech, built a garage-born automotive accessories business into one of America’s most recognizable aftermarket brands. Since launching the company in 1989, he has turned WeatherTech into a manufacturing-driven powerhouse known for premium floor liners and a strong made-in-America identity, while retaining full ownership of the business. MacNeil stands out as a self-made industrial entrepreneur who transformed a simple product category into a billion-dollar brand.

Dan Friedkin, chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group, built one of America’s most diversified private empires by expanding a family automotive fortune into hospitality, entertainment, and global sports. Best known for leading Gulf States Toyota, he has also extended his reach through luxury resorts, film production, and high-profile football ownership, including AS Roma and Everton. With a low public profile and a long-term ownership style, Friedkin stands out as one of the most quietly influential billionaires in business.

Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the NBA legend turned business mogul, built a billion-dollar empire by parlaying his basketball fame into a far-reaching portfolio of investments in sports, insurance, real estate, and urban-focused businesses. After redefining the point guard position with the Los Angeles Lakers, he became one of the most successful athlete-entrepreneurs in America, with holdings tied to major league franchises and long-term strategic investments. Johnson stands as a rare figure who translated sports stardom into enduring business power.

Gary Chouest, president and CEO of Edison Chouest Offshore, leads one of the most important privately held maritime service empires in the United States, built from the Louisiana vessel business founded by his father in 1960. Under his leadership, the company has expanded into a vast offshore fleet serving oil, gas, offshore wind, shipbuilding, and national-security markets, helping make Edison Chouest a cornerstone of U.S. marine logistics and deepwater operations. Known for a low public profile and long-term industrial vision, Chouest has become one of the defining figures in American offshore shipping.

Peter Cancro, founder and chairman of Jersey Mike’s, built one of America’s fastest-growing restaurant chains by turning a single New Jersey sandwich shop he bought at 17 into a national franchising powerhouse. Over five decades, he expanded the brand through a simple model centered on fresh-sliced subs, operator loyalty, and strong local-store economics, helping Jersey Mike’s surpass 3,000 locations. After Blackstone’s 2024 acquisition of the company at an $8 billion valuation, Cancro stepped down as CEO in 2025 but remained chairman and a significant shareholder, continuing to shape the brand’s long-term growth.

Terry Taylor, founder and president of Automotive Management Services, built one of the largest privately held auto retail empires in the United States by quietly assembling more than 120 dealerships across the country. Starting with a single new-car dealership in Daytona Beach in 1982, Taylor expanded through disciplined acquisitions, local operating autonomy, and an unusually low-profile style that made him one of the least visible major figures in U.S. automotive retail. His majority stake in Automotive Management Services turned him into a billionaire while preserving the company’s reputation for scale without spectacle.

Edward Glazer is a sports executive and investor best known as co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a member of the Glazer family that controls Manchester United. He plays an active role in the Buccaneers’ business operations and fan-experience strategy, helping shape one of the NFL’s most commercially polished franchises, while also remaining tied to the family’s broader holdings, including First Allied Corporation. Low-profile but influential, Glazer sits at the center of a multigenerational empire spanning sports ownership, real estate, and philanthropy.

Frederic B. Luddy, founder and board chairman of ServiceNow, built one of the most influential enterprise software companies of the cloud era by turning IT service management into a broader platform for digital workflow automation. He founded ServiceNow in 2004 and helped grow it into a global software leader, with the company later surpassing $7 billion in annual revenue organically. Known for his product-first mindset and low-profile leadership, Luddy remains closely identified with ServiceNow’s long-term vision and engineering culture.

William Conway Jr., cofounder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group, helped build one of the world’s most influential private equity firms by pioneering global buyouts and institutional alternative investing. Since launching Carlyle in 1987, Conway played a central role in expanding the firm across private equity, credit, infrastructure, and real assets, managing capital for sovereign wealth funds, pensions, and major institutions worldwide. Known for disciplined dealmaking and long-term capital relationships, he has been instrumental in shaping modern global private markets. Conway is also a major philanthropist, supporting education and healthcare initiatives across the United States.