The Top 10 Influential Business Figures in American History

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1. John Davison Rockefeller – Oil magnate and founder of Standard Oil. Often regarded as the richest person in history. Offspring companies include: The Seven Sister oil companies. ie. Exxon Mobil, Chevron, and etc. Estimated net worth in adjusted dollars: $500 Billion.

2. Henry Ford – He gave us the assembly line, the Model T, and sparked America’s love affair with automobiles. Estimated net worth in adjusted dollars: $178 Billion. 

3. Andrew Carnegie – Forged America’s industrial might, and founded the Carnegie Steel Company (Which later merged to form US Steel). Had the biggest impact on the industrial revolution. Estimated net worth: $297 Billion. 

4. John Pierpont Morgan – Financial magnate, and paved the way for Wall Street barons. He financed several big mergers and acquisitions, some of which include: General Electric, US Steel, AT&T, and US Railways. He advised and funded Charles Schwab, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Grover Cleveland, Thomas Westinghouse, and many more. Estimated net worth: $100 Billion.

5. Cornelius Vanderbilt – Gained the majority of his wealth from the shipping and railroad industry. A renegade pioneer. Estimated net worth: $160 Billion.

6. Warren Buffett – The Oracle of Omaha. Greatest investor in world history. Took the knowledge given to him by Dr. Benjamin Graham, and paved the way for a new generation of value investors. Estimated net worth: $50 Billion. 

7. Bill Gates – Business magnate, co-founder of Microsoft and the Gates Foundation. He was at the helm of the personal computer revolution, and helped make Microsoft the juggernaut it is today. Estimated net worth: $57 Billion.

8. Sam Walton – Entrepreneur, business magnate, and founder of Wal-Mart & Sam’s Club. One of the most innovative retail entrepreneurs in world history. Estimated net worth: $92 Billion.

9. Larry Ellison – Business magnate and founder of Oracle. He created Oracle as a project that was originally funded by the CIA for massive data collection. He revolutionized database systems, and currently runs one of the most powerful companies in the world. Estimated net worth: $40 Billion.

10. Steve Jobs – Hardware entrepreneur and Co-founder of Apple Computers. From his humble beginnings, to the hardships of 1997, Steve resurrected his own company. 14 years after accepting a $150 million loan from Microsoft, Apple managed to surpass Exxon Mobil as the world’s most valuable company. The iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac, and many other products have revolutionized the way we communicate. Steve was not only a great leader, but he had foresight and the wherewithal to pick an excellent predecessor in Tim Cook. Arguably, the greatest leader Silicon Valley has ever known. Estimated net worth: $8.3 Billion.

I’d love to hear what you think about my list.

Signing off,

Miran Maric

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.
– Andrew Carnegie