Wiz’s Reznik, Deel’s Bouaziz named among richest entrepreneurs under 40
Two Israeli founders join a global cohort built largely on tech and data.
Two Israelis have made Forbes’ annual list of the world’s 40 richest self-made billionaire entrepreneurs under the age of 40.
Roy Reznik, 37, a co-founder of cybersecurity company Wiz, ranks 27th with an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion. His fortune was boosted significantly by Wiz’s $32 billion sale to Alphabet earlier this year. Wiz’s other co-founders, Assaf Rappaport, Ami Luttwak, and Yinon Costica, did not appear on the list because they are already over the age threshold, although they are also billionaires.
The second Israeli on the ranking is Alex Bouaziz, 32, co-founder of global payroll company Deel, whose fortune is estimated at $2 billion. According to Forbers, Bouaziz has an estimated 12% stake in Deel, which raised a $300 Series E at a $17.3 billion valuation in October.
More broadly, the number of billionaires aged 39 and under surged over the past year, driven largely by investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence. The total matches the previous record set in 2021, during the peak of the pandemic-era tech boom. This year’s list includes 71 self-made billionaires, 48 of whom built their fortunes in the technology sector, alongside 12 from finance and investment. Half of the young billionaires are American, and eight are women, including Daniela Amodei of Anthropic.
Together, the 71 billionaires hold a combined fortune of $218 billion, an impressive sum, though still far below the $444 billion held by the same-sized group in 2021. Because the ranking is limited to 40 spots, several high-profile figures were left out, including Taylor Swift, with an estimated net worth of $1.6 billion, and Rihanna, worth about $1 billion.
For much of the past decade, the list was dominated by Mark Zuckerberg, who in 2008 became the youngest billionaire entrepreneur in history at age 23. He held that distinction for 11 years before aging out of the ranking in 2024. Last year, he was replaced at the top by Stripe founders Patrick and John Collison.
This year’s top spot belongs to a new entrant: Edwin Chen, 38, founder and CEO of Surge AI, whose personal fortune is estimated at $18 billion. Chen founded the company in 2020 to provide data-labeling services for AI training. Surge AI reported revenues of $1.2 billion last year, and Forbes estimates that Chen owns roughly 75% of the company.
Ranked second is Wang Ning, 38, founder of Chinese toy company Pop Mart, known globally for its Labubu figurines. Wang’s fortune is estimated at $15.7 billion. He founded the company in 2010, took it public in Hong Kong a decade later, and now serves as chairman and CEO. Pop Mart is valued at $33 billion, and its shares have surged more than 100% over the past year.
Patrick and John Collison, aged 37 and 35 respectively, rank third after falling from first place last year. Each brother is estimated to be worth $10.1 billion. They founded Stripe in 2010 while studying at MIT, and the fintech company was last valued at $91.5 billion in a February funding round.
Other notable names on the list include Alexander Wang, 28, founder of AI company Scale AI. After Meta acquired a 49% stake in Scale AI this year for $14 billion, Wang was appointed Meta’s chief AI officer. His fortune is estimated at $3.2 billion, placing him 21st on the list. Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, 35, ranks 26th with a net worth of $2.5 billion.
