The Indian Panorama

Tag: Rakesh Gangwal

  • Six Indian Americans on Forbes’ 2025 billionaires list

    Six Indian Americans on Forbes’ 2025 billionaires list

    NEW YORK (TIP): Forbes released its 2025 Billionaires List today, highlighting several Indian Americans among the world’s wealthiest individuals. While none has broken into the top 200, their success across diverse industries, including technology, finance, and aviation, underscores their growing influence in the global economy.

    Among those listed is Vinod Khosla, the founder of Khosla Ventures and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, with an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion. A veteran in Silicon Valley, Khosla has played a key role in nurturing technology startups and advancing innovation in artificial intelligence and sustainability.

    Jay Chaudhry, the CEO of cybersecurity firm Zscaler, boasts net worth of $8.3 billion. Born in a small village in India, Chaudhry’s journey from humble beginnings to billionaire status is a testament to the power of entrepreneurship. His company, Zscaler, has been instrumental in reshaping cloud security for major global enterprises.

    Other notable Indian Americans on the list include Jayshree Ullal, CEO and president of Arista Networks, with a net worth of $4.5 billion; Romesh Wadhwani, founder of Symphony Technology Group, worth $5 billion; Rakesh Gangwal, co-founder of IndiGo Airlines, with a fortune exceeding $4 billion; and Aneel Bhusri, co-founder of Workday, with an estimated $3.3 billion.

    Elon Musk is the world’s richest individual, with a net worth of approximately $433.9 billion. He is followed by Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, with a net worth of $239.4 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook, with $211.8 billion.

    A record 3,028 people around the globe make Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list this year, 247 more than last year. It’s the first time the billionaire population has crossed 3,000 marks. They’re worth a record $16.1 trillion in all, $2 trillion more than a year ago and more than the GDP of every country in the world besides the U.S. and China. The average fortune now stands at $5.3 billion, up $200 million from 2024.

  • Meet the Forbes Seven richest Indian Americans

    Meet the Forbes Seven richest Indian Americans

    NEW YORK (TIP): Forbes recently released its list of 400 wealthiest Americans for the year 2021. Seven Indian Americans, with a combined net worth of $42.4 billion, have made it to the list — the same number as 2020. While six of the seven billionaires retained their positions on the list, Google investor Kavitark Ram Shriram fell off it. However, he was replaced by Baiju Bhatt, Co-founder of Robinhood. Here is the complete list:

    Jay Chaudhury
    CEO, Zscaler
    Rank: 45
    Net worth: $16.3 billion
    Age: 62

    The richest Indian American on the list the wealthiest 400 Americans, Chaudhury saw his net worth increase by nearly a whopping $10 billion in the past year. His ranking also increased from 85th in 2020 to 45th this year. Chaudhry founded Zscaler, a cyber security firm, in 2008. He, along with his family, owns 42 percent of the company’s shares. The firm went public in March 2018. Chaudhry moved to the United States to study in Nevada back in the 1980s. Zsclaer is not Chaudhry’s first venture. Along with his wife, he founded a number of companies which were subsequently acquired.

    Vinod Khosla
    Founder, Khosla Ventures
    Rank: 92
    Net worth: $8.6 billion
    Age: 66

    The net worth of Khosla, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures, increased from $2.8 billion in 2020 to $8.6 billion. His ranking went up from 353 to 92.

    A graduate of IIT Delhi, Khosla grew up in the Indian capital before moving to the United States to do an MBA from Stanford, in 1980. He founded Sun Microsystems with his classmates from Stanford. He later left the company to become a venture capitalist. He founded Khosla Ventures, based in Menlo Park, California, in 2004.

    Rakesh Gangwal
    Co-founder, Interglobe Aviation
    Rank: 253
    Net worth: $4.5 billion
    Age: 68

    Co-founder and co-owner of India’s Indigo Airlines, Gangwal previously served as the CEO of US Airways group. His network increased from $2.3 billion to $4.5 billion in the past year. An IIT, Kanpur graduate, he earned an MBA from Wharton School of Pennsylvania. He has also served as the executive vice-president for Air France. He lives in Miami, Florida with his wife and a daughter.

    Romesh Wadhwani
    Founder, Symphony Technology Group
    Rank: 333
    Net worth: $3.5 billion
    Age: 74

    Founder and CEO of Symphony Technology Group, Wadhwani was born in Karachi before Indian independence. His net worth last year was $3.4 billion.

    A graduate from IIT Bombay, he earned his masters and doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University.

    He lives in Palo Alto, California with his wife and has a married daughter.

    Niraj Shah
    CEO, Wayfair
    Rank: 340
    Net Worth: $3.4 billion
    Age: 47

    At number 340 on the list, online retailer Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah grew up in Massachusetts. His net worth increased from $2.8 billion to $3.4 billion in the past year.

    He graduated from Cornell University and co-founded Wayfair in 2002 with his classmate.

    In 2017 he also became the director of Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and lives in Boston with his wife Jill Shah.

    Aneel Bhusri
    CEO, Workday
    Rank: 363
    Net Worth: $3.2 billion
    Age: 55

    Born in Pittsford, New York, Bhusri co-founded Workday with David Duffield.

    He became the vice chairman of the company in 1999, until the takeover by Oracle in 2004.

    He is also a partner at Greylock Partners which is a software investment fund. He is placed number 363 on the list.

    Baiju Bhatt
    Co-founder, Robinhood
    Rank: 389
    Net Worth $2.9 billion
    Age: 36

    At just 36, Bhatt is the youngest Indian American on the list. He is placed at number 389.

    He founded Robinhood, a financial services company, along with Vladimir Tenev.

    Son of Indian immigrants, Bhatt grew up in Virginia. He studied mathematics at Stanford University.

    He co-founded the trading platform in 2013. After a funding run in 2018, he became a billionaire along with his co-founder. He lives in Palo Alto, California.