Founders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs.
Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I and the Apple II, co-founded Apple with Steve Jobs in 1976 and later created the first programmable universal remote.
Peter Thiel co-founded PayPal, launched Palantir and Founders Fund, and became Facebook's first outside investor in 2004 with a $500,000 stake for 10.2 percent.
Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and made the car affordable with the 1908 Model T and the assembly-line system known as Fordism. His legacy also includes 1920s antisemitic publications.
Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse in 1928, pioneered the animated feature film and opened Disneyland in 1955. He holds the record for the most Academy Awards won by an individual, with 22.
Ralph Lauren grew up in the Bronx, sold neckties and launched The Ralph Lauren Corporation in 1967 with a line of men's ties. He remains executive chairman and chief creative officer.
Sam Altman dropped out of Stanford to found Loopt, ran Y Combinator, and has led OpenAI as CEO since 2019, overseeing the November 2022 launch of ChatGPT. He was ousted and reinstated within five days in 2023.
Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple's CEO in 2011 and led the company until 2026, growing its market value from $348 billion to over $4 trillion. He became executive chairman in September 2026.
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976, was forced out in 1985, built NeXT and bought Pixar, then returned as CEO in 1997 and led Apple until his resignation in 2011.
Jamie Dimon has led JPMorgan Chase as CEO since 2005 and chairman since 2006, after rising through American Express, Travelers, Citigroup and Bank One.
Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter and the payments company Block (Square, Cash App), and later the decentralized social network Bluesky. He is a St. Louis native and NYU dropout.
Kylie Jenner launched Kylie Lip Kits in 2015, renamed Kylie Cosmetics in 2016. In 2019 Forbes named her the youngest self-made billionaire, then retracted the claim, saying she 'likely forged' tax returns.
Kim Kardashian turned reality-TV fame into a business portfolio, founding KKW Beauty in 2017, shapewear brand Skims in 2019 and skincare line SKKN by Kim in 2022.
