Engineering is an underrated profession in society that can bring in tons of money. While most of the wealthiest people always seem to be businessmen, the wealthy engineers are still pulling in billions while staying out of the spotlight. These engineers have established some of the most important companies and services that are around today and get used by millions of people all the time. Here are five engineers who are billionaires.
5. Jeff Bezos – $30.2 Billion
Jeff Bezos graduated with his engineering degree from Princeton University and went on to found Amazon.com. Bezos has had a major influence on the e-commerce market and is still a key player in the growth of Amazon and their continuous innovation. Amazon is the top online retailer and earns the most internet sales throughout the world.
4. Bernard Arnault – $31.5 Billion
Bernard Arnault earned his engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique because his father owned a successful civil engineering company; however, he is now the chairman and CEO of LVMH, the French luxury goods company. He is a big art collector and even owns paintings by Picasso and Andy Warhol.
3. Michael Bloomberg – $34 Billion
Former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, graduated from Johns Hopkins University with his degree in Electrical Engineering. He is the founder of the financial data company Bloomberg L.P., which he still owns 88% of. He is currently the eleventh richest person in the United States and the sixteenth in the entire world with a net worth of $34 billion.
2. The Koch Brothers – $40 Billion (each)
Charles and David Koch both have degrees in engineering and co-own Koch Industries, a multinational company that has its hand in many different industries, but mainly oil refining and chemicals. The brothers each own 42% of the company and have built up a combined net worth of just over $80 billion.
1. Carlos Slim – $76 Billion
Carlos Slim has a degree in Civil Engineering and owns the conglomerate group Grupo Carso. His company spans across many fields including communication, technology, retailing and even finance. Slim was the richest person in the world from 2010 to 2013 (Bill Gates has reclaimed the title) and is also the chief executive of Telmex and America Movil.
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