FX.co ★ Billionaires who owe their fortune to AI

Charles Liang

Charles Liang is the co-founder and CEO of Super Micro Computer, a company specializing in computer hardware manufacturing. In 2023, Supermicro's revenue reached $7 billion and its stock surged by over 1,100%. This tremendous success was largely driven by a sharp increase in demand for the company's products from firms working with artificial intelligence. As of today, Charles Liang's net worth is estimated at more than $6 billion, making him one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the high-tech industry.

Kwang Dong Shin

Kwang Dong Shin manages Hanmi Semiconductor, a company founded by his father in 1980. Hanmi manufactures equipment used in the final stages of semiconductor production. Key clients of the company include Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, both of which are actively developing AI technologies. With the growing interest in AI, Hanmi's business is thriving, and its stock has soared by more than 560% over the past year. As of today, Kwang Dong Shin's net worth is nearly $3 billion.

Shunsaku Sagami

Shunsaku Sagami is the founder and CEO of M&A Research Institute. His firm specializes in brokering mergers and acquisitions, helping owners of small and medium-sized businesses find buyers using AI. M&A Research Institute focuses on businesses typically owned by older individuals, looking to sell their firms and cash out. At present, Shunsaku Sagami's net worth equals about $2 billion, making him one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Japan.

Ivan Zhao

Ivan Zhao is the co-founder and CEO of the project planning and management startup Notion. His journey to success was challenging and rather long. In 2015, he and his partner Simon Last fired all their employees, sublet their San Francisco office, and relocated the company to Japan. Since then, their service, Notion, has become one of the most popular in the world, reaching a market value of nearly $20 billion. This success was significantly aided by the active integration of artificial intelligence into Notion's operations. As of today, Ivan Zhao's net worth totals $1.5 billion.

Brett Adcock

American entrepreneur Brett Adcock founded Figure in 2022. The company is developing a versatile humanoid robot equipped with artificial intelligence, expected to address labor shortages in certain industries. In February 2023, Figure raised $675 million from major investors, including Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI. So, the company's market value swelled to $2.6 billion. Brett Adcock owns approximately 50% of the company, resulting in his net worth growing to $1.4 billion this year.

Lisa Su

Taiwanese-American Lisa Su is the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a company focusing on integrated circuits production. Since she was appointed CEO in 2014, AMD's stock has zoomed up more than 60-fold, transforming the company from an ailing firm into one of the leaders in the semiconductor market. Today, AMD is actively incorporating AI technologies, contributing to the company's steady growth. Lisa Su's current net worth is estimated at $1.3 billion.

Michelle Zatlyn

Canadian-born Michelle Zatlyn is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Cloudflare, a company specializing in cybersecurity. Cloudflare utilizes artificial intelligence to protect its clients and prevent cyberattacks, as well as provides cloud space for developers to create their own AI models. Michelle Zatlyn owns about 2% of the company's shares whose value has surged by 65% over the past year. As of today, her net worth is measured at $1.2 billion.

Sam Altman

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has become a key figure in the field of artificial intelligence due to the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. Although he does not own shares in the company, which is valued at over $80 billion, he has amassed a fortune of $1 billion. Over the years, Sam Altman has served as the president of the startup incubator Y Combinator and has invested in companies such as Stripe and Reddit. In November of last year, he was fired from OpenAI, only to be reemployed shortly after.