Programming is one of the most lucrative yet challenging careers in the world. Programmers are typically strong problem solvers as they can build advanced software and scale companies into millions of users. This is why talented programmers are highly sought after!
Wealthiest Programmers:
1. Elon Musk – $191 Billion
Elon Musk began coding BASIC at an early age and sold a video game to a computer magazine for $500 when he was 12 years old. Zip2 was Elon’s first venture and Musk wrote all the code for the site.
After selling Zip2 he became a part of the PayPal Mafia, the pioneering group of employees behind PayPal’s success. Apart from being a computer engineer, he became a billionaire through founding Tesla and SpaceX. This is why Elon is worth $191 billion!
2. Mark Zuckerberg – $155.7 Billion
The business magnate owns a number of social media platforms. His biggest venture, Facebook, has changed the way we communicate online.
He was only a university student when he spotted the need for a social networking website. With the help of a few classmates, he wrote the code and designed Facebook for a select number of schools.
It soon went viral and quickly gained millions of users. To maintain Facebook’s dominance Mark acquired WhatsApp and Instagram, and are now under Meta. His wealth is valued at $155.7 billion.
3. Larry Ellison – $153.9 Billion
Larry Ellison is the brains behind Oracle Corporation and he is a pioneer of database programs. Despite being in his late 70’s, Ellison still plays an important role in running the business.
Larry used his coding knowledge to make it easy for computer specialists to manage massive volumes of data. When he released the Oracle software, it was a groundbreaking moment for the industry.
He isn’t the CEO anymore, but still serves as its executive chairman and chief technology officer. His efforts have awarded him a net worth of around $153.9 billion.
4. Bill Gates – $131.2 Billion
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was the wealthiest person in the world from 1995 to 2017 but has slipped down the pecking order. The software giant IPO’d in 1986, back then Gates owned 49% of the business.
The software giant IPO’d in 1986, back then Gates owned 49% of the business. Today, Gates has a 0.9% equity stake that is worth around $25 billion. Bill stepped down as Chairman in 2014 and left the board in 2020 to focus on philanthropy.
5. Larry Page – $127.3 Billion
Larry Page is a co-founder of the tech giant Google. He is the computer scientist responsible for creating Google and its sophisticated search ranking algorithm.
Page built the search engine with Sergey Brin, another brilliant mind in the programming space. When they launched the venture, Page served as the CEO.
He has since stepped down from the role. Now, he is a key player in Google’s holding firm, Alphabet. Inc. Page has accumulated a fortune worth $127.3 billion.
6. Sergey Brin – $122.3 Billion
Sergey Brin co-founded Google’s ground breaking search engine along with Larry Page as his partner. Though Larry was the CEO, Sergey established many of its popular products.
In the early days of Google, Brin’s main focus was on data mining systems. He and Page became a dynamic duo that created what some people call the greatest code in history.
Like Page, Brin is focusing his attention on Alphabet, Inc. He served as Google’s president for a long time. Now, his executive role is still enough to sustain a $122.3 billion fortune.
7. Ma Huateng – $34 Billion
Popularly known as Pony Ma, Ma Huateng acquired his fortune through co-founding Tencent. The technology and entertainment company is one of Asia’s most valuable companies, its market cap is over $400 billion.
Several classmates helped him establish Tencent. Before moving into games, they created the messaging software OICQ, later renamed Tencent QQ.
The messaging app became a huge hit in China, and helped Pony Ma expand operations. Now, he is thriving in the entertainment industry, and his net worth is reported to be $34 billion.
8. Ding Lei – $30.9 Billion
Ding Lei, also referred to as William Ding, is another programmer who made a fortune from China’s gaming sector. However, NetEase offers a wide range of services.
At first, NetEase produced an email service then they expanded into microblogging and developed a search engine. He started an eCommerce platform and a music streaming service.
NetEase later became a partner of the video game holding company Activision Blizzard, making Chinese versions of their games. This became a very profitable move for Lei, and it has earned him a net worth of $30.9 billion.
9. Patrick Collison – $7.2 Billion
With Stripe, Irish tech entrepreneur Patrick Collison became a big name among circles in Silicon Valley. He is the CEO and co-founder of an online payment processing company.
Before Stripe, Patrick created a software company called Shuppa with his younger brother, John Collison. The Collison brothers were the main programmers and wrote a majority of the code themselves.
Patrick and John eventually sold Shuppa for a considerable profit and moved onto bigger things. Thus, when they created Stripe, the brothers were able to attract high-profile investors. Stripe’s success has left Patrick Collison with a $7.2 billion fortune.
10. Jack Dorsey – $4.8 Billion
Jack Dorsey is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter. He is one of the most successful self-taught programmers and has started two household companies. Currently, he is the CEO of Block, Inc, a digital payments and financial services company he founded in 2009.
Early in his career, he had an idea for an instant messenger service combined with a status-sharing platform. To help make this idea come to life, he invited co-founders Evan Williams and Noah Glass to join him.
As the one who came up with the app’s concept, Dorsey was chosen to be the CEO of Twitter. Elon Musk is now running Twitter but Jack still has a 2.4% equity stake, Dorsey’s wealth is estimated to be $4.8 billion.
