• Walt Disney (1901-1966): He dropped out of school at age 16 to enlist for WWI. However, he was rejected due to his young age. In 1923, Walt and his brother Roy moved to Hollywood to set up an animation studio. As of 2015, the Walt Disney Company held assets worth a total of $74.9 billion.
• David Karp (1986 - ): He was 14 years old when he dropped out of high school on advice from his mom. Although his mom was a schoolteacher, seeing that he was easily bored at school, she encouraged him to leave so he could focus on his passion for computers. At age 21, he launched Tumblr, which as of 2016, hosts over 287.6 million blogs. In 2013, Yahoo bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion, keeping Karp as the website’s CEO.
• Richard Branson (1950 - ): Having suffered from dyslexia and poor academic performance, he was reportedly told by his headmaster that he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire. At 16, Branson dropped out of school to start his own business, a magazine named Student, which eventually led to his own music label, Virgin Records. Expanding the Virgin empire, he also launched Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Trains, and even a soda called Virgin Cola. His latest venture is set to be the first space tourism company, Virgin Galactic. In 2015, Forbes listed his estimated net worth at $5.2 billion.
• James H. Clark (1944-): Considered the first internet billionaire, Clark dropped out of school at 16 after getting suspended. He went on to join the Navy and it was during this time that he was introduced to electronics. After leaving the Navy, he returned to school, eventually earning a PhD in computer science. After working as a professor at Stanford, he went on to found several Silicon Valley tech companies, including Silicon Graphics Incorporated, web browser Netscape, and online health forum WebMD. He also made timely investments in Apple, Facebook, and Twitter. He is now worth an estimated $1 billion.
• John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937): The richest person in US history, he left school at 16 to work as an assistant bookkeeper. With a natural talent for business, he raised funds to build an oil refinery while the industry was still in its infancy. In 1916, he became the first American to be worth more than a billion dollars.
• Alan Sugar (1947-): British entrepreneur and TV personality Alan Sugar grew up in one of the poorest areas in London. He dropped out of school at 16 and began his career by selling electrical goods out of the back of his van. He later launched Amstrad, a tech company selling electrical goods including cigarette lighters, aerials, car radios and hi-fi systems. Most of his fortune has been accumulated through smart property investments. His estimated worth is more than $2 billion.
• Kirk Kerkorian (1917-2015): He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to become an amateur boxer. After working as a pilot during WWII, he made his first visit to Las Vegas where he bought Trans International Airlines for $60,000. He sold the airline two decades later for $104 million. With his growing fortunes, he built up Las Vegas. He built the biggest hotel on the strip 3 times, and made a fortune selling businesses in the casino, auto and movie industries. In 2008, his net worth was $16 billion.
• Carl Lindner Jr. (1919-2011): He was a self made billionaire who dropped out of school at 14 to work as a milk delivery boy for his family’s dairy. Together with his brothers, he opened an ice cream shop and slowly built a chain of convenience stores. The stores, known as the United Dairy Farmers chain, allowed the family to sell their dairy products directly to customers. He also diversified into the insurance industry, becoming one of the largest insurers in America. By the time of his death, he was worth an estimated $1.7 billion.
• Francois Pinault (1936-): He is one of the richest men in France, worth an estimated $15 billion. Bullied by his school peers for being poor, he dropped out at 16 to work at his father’s lumber mill. As an adult, he began to acquire undervalued timber firms, turning them into profitable businesses. He had a talent for turning profits and branched out of the lumber industry. He is now known as the majority shareholder of fashion corporation PPR, owning high end fashion houses including Gucci, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent.
• Amancio Ortega Gaona (1936-): He grew up in a poor household, sometimes unable to afford even basic items. At age 14, he dropped out of school and found work as an assistant for a local shirt maker. There, he learned to make clothes by hand. As an adult, he used these skills to build a company sewing quilted bathrobes, before founding fashion empire Inditex, which includes international clothes brand Zara. Today, his fashion empire has expanded to over 6000 stores and more than 92,000 employees, making him the second richest person in the world, with a fortune of $73.1 billion.
I can't even fathom that kind of moolah. Have a fangtastic day my friends! <3 Brock V"""V
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