All under 40 and from the AI industry: These 7 billionaires are new to the club of the ultra-rich

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents All under 40 and from the AI industry: These 7 billionaires are new to the club of the ultra-rich.

You've heard it everywhere in recent months: AI is the big topic. What many overlook: Anyone who had the right AI startup in recent years is now a billionaire. In the new Forbes 400 – the ranking of the 400 richest people in the US – seven newcomers under 40 appear, all of whom made their fortune in the AI industry.

That's unusual. Normally, the wealth in the Forbes 400 is spread across many industries – energy, finance, fashion, classic tech. Now a large portion of the new under-40s comes from just one sector. This shows how rapidly AI is currently attracting capital.

We take a look at exactly what the Forbes 400 says – and why four of the seven newcomers happen to work at OpenAI rival Anthropic.

Forbes 400 – what's behind the ranking?

The Forbes 400 has been the most well-known ranking of the super-rich in the US for decades. It lists the 400 wealthiest Americans by estimated net worth – and is something like the unofficial premier league of billionaires.

In the current edition, a total of ten people are younger than 40. Seven of them are newcomers in the ranking – meaning they weren't in the Top 400 before. And here's the kicker that t3n picks up: All seven earned their billions in the AI sector.

Four of them come from Anthropic – the OpenAI rival

Four of the seven new U40 billionaires made their fortune at Anthropic. Anthropic is considered a direct rival to OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The company develops its own AI models and has positioned itself as an important player in the AI market in recent years.

According to t3n, the remaining three newcomers also come from the AI industry – which companies exactly is not revealed in the available excerpt. For the complete list of names, ages and fortunes, it's worth taking a look at the original article at t3n and the current Forbes 400 ranking.

What does the clustering mean?

When seven new billionaires from a single industry enter the ranking, it's a clear signal: The AI boom has long since reached the top wealth lists. Those who got in early enough – as founders, early employees, or investors – are now sitting on a fortune most people will never achieve.

For you, this means: AI is no longer just a technology topic in the trade media, but is showing up directly in the US wealth statistics. Whether this clustering is a sustainable trend or whether the ranks will shift again soon will become clear in the next Forbes editions.