Net worth: $47.8 billion
Family Business: Los Angeles
Clippers Industry: Sports
Prominent Member: Steve Ballmer
The Ballmer family has Steve Ballmer to thank for its incredible wealth. Ballmer owns the majority of the LA Clippers NBA team. Before that, he was the CEO of Microsoft. Balmer was one of the pioneering members of the company during the 2000s
After leaving Microsoft, Ballmer ventured into the sports industry and apparently bought the Los Angeles Clippers for a around $2 billion. If this is true, then this would be the second highest sum ever paid in the history of American professional sports. Ballmer clearly turns everything he touches into gold
The Penskes
Net Worth: $2 Billion
Industry: Automotive
Notable Member(s): Roger Penske
Claim to Fame: Penske Co.
Penske is one of the biggest names in the auto world, and even those that really aren’t all familiar with that would have probably heard the name more than a few times. Roger Penske began building the family empire in the 1950s when he started racing and selling cars. By the ’60s, he was well-known and winning all kinds of awards.
Roger wasn’t just racing cars, though, he was selling them, too – and turning quite a profit. Aside from being named Sports Illustrated “Driver of the Year,” in 1961, he was becoming quite a success financially, as well. In 1965, he retired from racing and focused on the business side of things, like opening up his first dealership. Now, you can’t go to a race without seeing the name Penske all over everything. Penske even runs his own IndyCar team and has dealerships all over the United States and throughout Canada and some parts of Europe. The racing legend has been inducted into several Hall of Fames and has amassed a net worth of over $2 billion.
The Gettys
Net Worth: $5.5 Billion
Industry: Oil
Notable Member(s): J. Paul Getty
Claim to Fame: Getty Oil The
Getty family struck wealth in the 20th century, when George Franklin and son, John Paul, immersed themselves in the petroleum industry. When J. Paul created Oil Getty, his dad wasn’t so sure about his abilities in the industry, but he certainly proved him wrong. In 1949, he started negotiating billion-dollar contracts in the Middle East.
But in the ’80s, Gordon Getty started selling off all of the company assets. In fact, he almost sold the company outright to Texaco, but in 1985, Texaco was sued by Pennzoil for over $10 Billion and Getty pulled out of the deal, which meant the company would continue to exist. However, they continued to work to sell and in 200, the company was turned over to Lukoil. In 1973, John Paul Getty III was on vacation in Rome when he was kidnapped and held for ransom. His grandfather didn’t want to pay but eventually agreed to help his son cover the ransom – but insisted on charging him interest. However, he didn’t agree until after the kidnappers chopped his ear off.
The Gores’
Net Worth: $4.1 Billion
Industry: Finance
Notable Member(s): Tom and Alec Gores
Claim to Fame: Platinum Equity
Tom Gores grew up in Flint, Michigan, after his family moved to the United States from Israel when he was just 4 years old. He worked as a bag and stock boy at the supermarket that his father owned. But in his 20’s, he got into investing, and eventually, launched the company that would skyrocket him to success: Platinum Equity.
But Platinum Equity wasn’t just an investment firm, they specialized in buyouts, and it soon became feared among business owners around the world. The company, although based in Los Angeles, was buying out businesses from all four corners of the world. Today, it’s completed over 250 acquisitions and has offices in New York, London, Singapore, and Boston. Although Alec doesn’t work with his brother at Platinum Equity, he’s still a billionaire in his own right, amassing a fortune of nearly $2 billion through technology buyouts at his firm, Gores Group. In 2012, he lost almost $18 million in a bet on a backgammon game. The brothers have both donated very generously to organizations that work to fight the water crisis in their hometown of Flint.
The Samuelis
Net Worth: $4 Billion
Industry: Technology
Notable Member(s): Henry Samueli
Claim to Fame: Broadcom
Henry Samueli is most well-known for co-founding the giant technology firm: The Broadcom Corporation. At the time, he was working at UCLA and he and one of his Ph.D. students launched the business, paying $5,000 each for startup costs. That investment would prove to be very wise, turning both men into billionaires.
Samueli never officially resigned from UCLA but instead took a leave of absence, from which he still finds himself on today. Apparently, his name is still included on some of the faculty rosters for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. In 2003, Samueli bought a sports arena and created Anaheim Arena Management, which bought the NHL’s Anaheim Duck’s 2 years later. Then in 2015, he bought the American Hockey League team: The Norfolk Admirals. The Samueli’s are also very philanthropic people, donating more than $500 million to causes of their choice to date. In fact, the family created the Samueli Foundation, joining The Giving Pledge, where members swear to donate the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. In 2001, they founded the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California in Irvine.