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How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Evan Spiegel: 25

The Snapchat cofounder and CEO became a billionaire in 2015 at age 25.

The value in Spiegel's Snapchat shares reached $1 billion, making him one of the youngest self-made billionaires.

Today's estimated net worth: $2.1 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Larry Page: 30

Google's cofounder earned his first billion in 2004 at age 30, when the company's IPO sent Page's net worth over $1 billion for the first time.

Today's estimated net worth: $35.1 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Bill Gates: 31

Microsoft's cofounder became a self-made billionaire in 1987 at age 31.

When the value in Gates' shares surpassed $1 billion, he became the youngest billionaire ever at the time. He finished 2015 as the richest man in the world.

Today's estimated net worth: $74.7 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Jeff Bezos: 35

Amazon's founder and CEO became a self-made billionaire in 1999 at age 35.

The value in Bezos' Amazon shares sent him from millionaire status to billionaire status.

Today's estimated net worth: $43.5 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Mark Cuban: 40

The "Shark Tank" investor and Dallas Mavericks owner became a self-made billionaire in 1998 at age 40.

Selling his first company, MicroSolutions, made Cuban a millionaire — selling his second company, Broadcast.com, made him a billionaire.

Today's estimated net worth: $3 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Sara Blakely: 41

The founder of Spanx became a billionaire in 2012 at age 41.

It was Blakely's 100% ownership of Spanx that made her the youngest self-made woman billionaire in the world.

Today's estimated net worth: $1 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Elon Musk: 41

The cofounder of PayPal and Tesla Motors and founder of SpaceX reached self-made-billionaire status in 2012 at age 41.

The rise in the value of Tesla stock helped Musk make the leap from millionaire status to billionaire status.

Today's estimated net worth: $10.8 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Sir Richard Branson: 41

Britain's high-profile billionaire earned his first billion in 1991 at age 41.

The Virgin Group founder became a self-made-billionaire thanks to the success of his many companies — he has overseen approximately 500.

Today's estimated net worth: $5.1 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Meg Whitman: 42

The former eBay CEO and current Hewlett-Packard CEO, became a self-made billionaire in 1998 at age 42.

Whitman's net worth exceeded $1 billion after she took eBay public.

Today's estimated net worth: $1.89 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Oprah Winfrey: 49

The media mogul and queen of daytime television became a self-made billionaire in 2003 at age 49.

Winfrey's media empire led her to become the first black woman billionaire in history.

Today's estimated net worth: $3 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Larry Ellison: 49

The founder and CEO of Oracle became a self-made billionaire in 1993 at age 49.

Ellison achieved billionaire status thanks to his stake in Oracle and the company's rapid growth.

Today's estimated net worth: $43.6 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Carlos Slim: 51

The Telecom magnate became a self-made billionaire in 1991 at age 51.

Real estate investments contributed to Slim's fortune. He finished 2015 as the second-richest person in the world.

Today's estimated net worth: $50.1 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

George Lucas: 52

The creator of "Star Wars" and founder of production company Lucasfilm became a self-made billionaire in 1996 at age 52.

Lucas' stake in Lucasfilm helped him make the jump from millionaire to billionaire.

Today's estimated net worth: $4.5 billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

How old 15 self-made billionaires were when they earned their first billion

Warren Buffett: 56

The investing legend and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway became a self-made billionaire in 1986 at age 56.

His net worth passed $1 billion after Berkshire Hathaway sold class A shares for the first time. Buffett finished 2015 as the third-richest man in the world.

Today's estimated net worth: $60.1 billion

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