The Immigrants Who Became Billionaires
The United States is the nation that hosts the most billionaires in the world with 492 of them calling America home but it’s not just home grown entrepreneurs laying claim to all of the riches with a staggering 51 immigrants from a total of 26 nations finding their fortune in the States. Of course, all of these money makers come from a range of backgrounds and industries but most seem to have struck gold in the high tech sectors, finance and industry.
One who has recently been making headlines is that of Jan Koum, the Ukrainian creator of WhatsApp who recently sold his start up to internet powerhouse Facebook for $19billion. Having moved to California when he was 16 he found work at Yahoo after developing a talent for computer hacking and networking. It was here that he met co-founder Brian Acton and WhatsApp was launched in 2009. 5 years later and he’s now $19billion richer!
Another prime example of an immigrant finding the American dream is John Kapoor, who came from India in 1964 to finish his graduate studies. Going on to work for a struggling Pharmaceuticals company he eventually took charge and managed to turn their fortunes around, and in turn made his own, selling his stake in the early 90’s for $100million.
Other notable inclusions into this exclusive club include German born Dagmar Dolby of Dolby Laboratories, The Russian Sergey Brin of Google and Tesla’s Elon Musk, originally of South Africa.
It would seem that America really is the land of opportunity for those prepared to get their hands dirty and make a name for themselves
