Key Factors
- South African-born billionaires, like Elon Musk and Patrick Quickly-Shiong, preserve a world affect regardless of dwelling overseas, reshaping industries worldwide.
- Elon Musk’s firms, Tesla and SpaceX, showcase how South African roots gasoline improvements in transportation, area exploration, and renewable power.
- Figures like Clive Calder and Ivan Glasenberg have bridged Africa with international markets, leaving lasting impacts throughout music, tech, and enterprise.
Many South African-born billionaires have made their mark removed from their homeland, typically changing into residents of their adopted international locations and establishing lives that appear distant from South Africa and the broader African continent.
Nevertheless, their affect is way from fading. Though these people could not reside in South Africa or function companies there, their contributions to each the native and international economies stay plain. Their ventures have reworked total industries, leaving a long-lasting legacy all over the world.
Contemplate Elon Musk, for instance. Because the world’s richest individual, Musk has reshaped the way forward for transportation, area exploration, and renewable power by his firms Tesla and SpaceX. His work, though centered within the U.S., has international implications, together with for South Africa, his birthplace. Musk’s success exhibits how deeply his South African roots have influenced his drive to alter the world.
Then there’s Patrick Quickly-Shiong, a health care provider and biotech entrepreneur whose groundbreaking work in most cancers therapy has revolutionized medication, significantly within the U.S. Regardless of his worldwide success, Quickly-Shiong has by no means forgotten his South African origins. His philanthropic efforts on the continent are a transparent reminder of his enduring connection to his roots, whilst his contributions have impacted the world stage.
Music mogul Clive Calder, whereas maybe not as well known as others, has made a major mark by bridging African music with international audiences by his ventures within the U.Okay. and South Africa. His affect on the digital music trade helped unfold African sounds worldwide, leaving a long-lasting impression far past the continent.
Different South African-born figures, like Ivan Glasenberg, the previous CEO of Glencore, and Tony Bloom, who constructed his empire in sports activities betting, have made their very own marks. Mark Shuttleworth, too, has sparked innovation by his early investments in tech and the event of the Ubuntu software program, affecting not simply Africa, however international know-how.
These people exemplify the deep connection between South Africa, their adopted international locations, and the industries they’ve formed throughout continents. Although they could have left South Africa behind, their achievements proceed to spotlight the highly effective, ongoing affect of South African-born billionaires in driving innovation, shaping economies, and contributing to international progress.
1. Elon Musk
Internet Price: $304 billion
Citizenships: South African, Canadian, American
Elon Musk’s journey to changing into one of many world’s wealthiest people started in Pretoria, South Africa, the place he was born. At 17, Musk moved to Canada, finally changing into a U.S. citizen. His profession has spanned a number of groundbreaking industries, together with electrical autos, area exploration, social media, and synthetic intelligence. As CEO of Tesla, he holds a major stake on the planet’s most precious carmaker. Musk additionally leads SpaceX, which is valued at $350 billion, and bought Twitter (now X) for $44 billion in 2022, although the corporate’s valuation has since seen a major drop. Moreover, Musk’s ventures embody Neuralink and The Boring Firm, and he continues to innovate in AI by his startup xAI. His rise to wealth started with the $1.5 billion sale of PayPal to eBay in 2002, paving the best way for his huge impression throughout a number of industries.
2. Patrick Quickly-Shiong
Internet Price: $9.88 billion
Citizenships: South African, American
Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Patrick Quickly-Shiong’s journey to success took him throughout the globe to america, the place he constructed a exceptional profession in biotechnology. His wealth comes from the strategic sale of two pharmaceutical firms, APP Prescribed drugs and Abraxis BioScience, totaling almost $8 billion. Quickly-Shiong is famend for growing Abraxane, a groundbreaking chemotherapy drug. At present, he holds an 80 % stake in ImmunityBio, and owns the Los Angeles Occasions. His various investments additionally lengthen to sports activities, together with a 4.5 % share within the Los Angeles Lakers. Via NantWorks, a conglomerate managing private and non-private entities in healthcare, Quickly-Shiong continues to be a significant participant within the medical and biotechnology sectors.
3. Clive Calder
Internet Price: $7.58 billion
Citizenships: South African, British
Clive Calder’s success story started in Johannesburg, the place he co-founded Zomba Group, which rapidly grew to become one of the influential unbiased music firms globally. His imaginative and prescient led to the invention and promotion of world superstars, together with Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Calder’s savvy enterprise acumen got here to the forefront when he offered Zomba to Bertelsmann for $2.74 billion in 2002. Past music, Calder has invested closely in know-how and gaming, with a notable stake in Cloud Imperium Video games, the studio behind Star Citizen. He’s additionally dedicated to philanthropy by the ELMA Group of Foundations, which pledged over $100 million to combat COVID-19 in Africa.
4. Ivan Glasenberg
Internet Price: $7.42 billion
Citizenships: South African, Australian, Swiss
Born in Johannesburg, Ivan Glasenberg constructed his fortune by his management at Glencore, the world’s largest commodity buying and selling and mining firm. As CEO, he led main offers, together with the $29 billion acquisition of Xstrata in 2013, solidifying Glencore’s place as a world powerhouse in sources. Though he stepped down as CEO in 2021, Glasenberg stays one of many firm’s largest shareholders. In 2024, he made a shocking transfer into the buyer sector by buying Italian bicycle producer Pinarello, diversifying his funding portfolio.
5. Tony Bloom
Internet Price: $1 billion
Citizenships: South African, British
Tony Bloom, a Brighton-born entrepreneur, is a famend sports activities bettor, skilled poker participant, and soccer membership proprietor. Nicknamed ‘The Lizard” in poker circles, Bloom has efficiently managed a non-public betting syndicate whereas making savvy investments in property and personal fairness. As the bulk proprietor of Brighton & Hove Albion, Bloom reworked the Premier League membership right into a aggressive pressure, main them to their first-ever UEFA Europa League qualification in 2023. Bloom can be concerned in soccer by stakes in Belgian membership Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Australian staff Melbourne Victory. His success in sports activities betting has earned him over $3.8 million in stay match winnings.
6. Mark Shuttleworth
Internet Price: $662 million
Citizenships: South African, British
Mark Shuttleworth is a pioneering tech entrepreneur, greatest identified for founding Canonical Restricted., the corporate behind the favored Ubuntu working system. He made his preliminary fortune after promoting his web safety agency, Thawte, for $575 million in 1999. In 2002, Shuttleworth made historical past as the primary African in area, funding his journey for $20 million. He continues to make an impression by the Shuttleworth Basis, investing in schooling and open-source software program initiatives. Shuttleworth additionally based HBD Enterprise Capital, a enterprise incubator centered on innovation in South Africa.
7. David Sacks
Internet Price: $200 million
Citizenships: South African, American
David Sacks, born in Cape City, South Africa, grew to become a key participant within the tech world after transferring to the U.S. as a toddler. His fortune got here from his position as COO of PayPal and his success as founder and CEO of Yammer. As a member of the “PayPal Mafia,” Sacks helped drive PayPal’s IPO and its $1.5 billion acquisition by eBay. At present, he’s a founding companion of Craft Ventures, with investments in firms like Uber, SpaceX, and Fb. Sacks’ affect extends to politics, the place he was appointed White Home AI and crypto czar in 2024. His involvement in each tech and digital coverage underscores his vital impression on Silicon Valley.
