FX.co ★ Curious cases of billionaires who have mysteriously gone missing

Larry Page

The co-founder of the Google search engine, Larry Page, was last seen more than a year ago. Nobody heard about him since the moment he and Sergey Brin resigned from senior positions at the parent company, Alphabet. There are some rumors that the billionaire spent several months during the pandemic on the Fiji Islands. Some journalists claim that he still lives in Fiji as some people personally met him. However, it is not reported what the downshifter is currently doing there. The reason for such an abrupt and mysterious disappearance is also unknown.

Kaji Brothers

In the spring of this year, the founders of South African cryptocurrency exchange Africrypt disappeared. Prior to that, Amir and Rais Kaji told users that their accounts had been compromised due to a recent breach in the system. They asked clients not to involve lawyers. However, crypto traders were rather worried and contacted the police. The search for the Kaji brothers revealed that the two brothers disappeared with no trace along with the missing bitcoins worth $3.6 billion. "We are suspicious because the announcement calls on investors not to take legal action. Africrypt employees lost access to server platforms seven days before the alleged hack," Hanekom Attorneys said.

Jack Ma

The founder of the big tech company, Alibaba, vanished last fall. He had gone silent for several months. The media connected his disappearance with the criticism of the authorities. During a summit in Shanghai last October, Ma openly criticized regulators’ attitude towards big business. He accused them of a “pawnshop” mentality that stifled innovation. The government's reaction was quite predictable. Alibaba faced several antitrust investigations. Jack Ma reappeared in an online video after a 3-month absence. In the video, Ma devoted himself to uplifting China’s rural poor. "My colleagues and I have been learning and thinking, and we have become more determined to devote ourselves to education and public welfare," he said.

Jerry Cotton

In 2018, a record number of users, more than 300,000, was registered on Canadian crypto platform Quadrigo. At that time, its founder, Jerry Cotton, suddenly flew to India. Shortly after, the unexpected news of his death hit the headlines. Traders were informed about the tragedy only a month later. Cotton took all the money stored on the platform with him as he had full access to the passwords. Investors believe that Cotton is still alive. He just made a good performance for the publicity because the Canadian regulator wanted to freeze most of the accounts on the exchange.

Steve Fossett

Billionaire Steve Fossett became famous not only as a prominent businessman but also as an avid adventurer. He set several world records in aeronautics and sailing. However, it was the passion for active and dangerous recreation that ruined him. In 2007, Fossett went on another trip by plane. After a while, it disappeared from the radar. The search for the businessman lasted for several days but without any success. A few months later, Fossett was declared dead. Only 7 months later, his remains were found along with the wreckage of the plane in the forests of Nevada over which his last route passed.