Eric Smidt
Source of wealth: Hardware stores
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Eric Smidt's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Eric Smidt could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 8.1 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Eric Smidt could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 3.6 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Eric Smidt could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 5.3 years.
And yes, we can also compare it with a rich country
But they couldn't just cover the cost of a poor country; Luxembourg is considered the country with the highest per capita investment in education in the world, and Eric Smidt could pay for it entirely for 7.2 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Eric Smidt could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 30.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Eric Smidt with Israel, the country that invests the most per capita in research in the world, they could cover the total cost of the system for 0.7 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Eric Smidt's fortune is equivalent to 123 tons of gold. It's hard to process, since we don't usually keep a handful of gold bars in our piggy banks.
A standard gold ring usually weighs between 4 and 7 grams. Let's say this one weighs 5 grams. It's usually 18 karats.
Based on today's gold price (excluding the jeweler's commission, shipping, or anything else), that ring would be worth $546.86.
Eric Smidt could buy 32,774,585 gold rings. That's a lot of fingers and way too many gifts!!
And if you're struggling to visualize that many rings, it would take 6 trucks to transport them. Although Eric Smidt will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Eric Smidt is CEO of nearly $9 billion (sales) Harbor Freight Tools, a home improvement retailer that has over 1,600 stores.
Smidt was a teenager when he started Harbor Freight Tools with his father Allan in 1977. He earned enough credits at his job to graduate high school.
In the beginning, Harbor Freight was a mail-order business that sold tools out of a small warehouse in North Hollywood.
Smidt became president of the company in 1985 and CEO and sole owner in 1999.
In 2010, his father Allan sued him for "looting" the company and leveraging it to finance his own lavish lifestyle. The case was settled out of court.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison