Tech Entrepreneurs Dominate Forbes’ List Of Young Billionaires

By Nicole Summer | Dec 27, 2016 10:09 PM EST

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Many people dream of being tagged as a billionaire, but that is not an easy feat. If you don't have wealth to inherit from your parents, one way to reach that mark is to build a tech company.

Forbes list of billionaires under 40 years old for the year 2016 are dominated by tech entrepreneurs, nine out of 14. The rest made it to the list with their inherited wealth.

The youngest billionaires are Evan Spiegel and Sean Parker, both 26 years old. Evan Spiegel has a net worth of $2.1 billion, thanks to Snapchat (now called Snap Inc.) He co-founded the tech and social media company with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown while still studying at Stanford University. Bobby Murphy also made it to Forbes' list, having a net worth of $1.8 billion at the age of 28.

Sean Parker, meanwhile, owes his wealth of $2.4 billion from Facebook. He briefly served as the social networking site's first president. He also co-founded Napster, a file-sharing computer service.

As many might have expected, the richest among these billionaires under 40 is Mark Zuckerberg. The 32-year-old tech entrepreneur has a net worth of $55.5 billion. His major source of wealth is, of course, Facebook.

Also owing his wealth from Facebook is Dustin Moskovitz. The co-founder of the most famous social media site has a net worth of $10.4 billion at the age of 32.

Meanwhile, Nathan Blecharczyk, Brian Chesky, and Joe Gebbia got their wealth from Airbnb, a peer-to-peer online marketplace that enables people to list their properties for short-term lodging. Nathan Blecharczyk is a co-founder and chief technology officer of Airbnb, and at age 33, he has a net worth of $3.3 billion.

The 35-year-old Brian Chesky, Airbnb's chief executive officer, has a wealth of $3.3 billion as well. Joe Gebbia, who is also 35 years old, is the Chief Product Officer of Airbnb, with a net worth of $3.3 billion.

Last but not the least is Robert Pera. His net worth of $3.2 billion at age 38 is thanks to Ubiquiti Networks. The company makes wireless networking gear.

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