James Litinsky

Source of wealth: Minerals

48 years male Metals & Mining 🇺🇸 US

Net Worth

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Earnings per second

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The scale of their wealth

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Health

The price of life

Let's compare James Litinsky's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country

James Litinsky could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.5 years.

But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country

On the other end, James Litinsky could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.2 years.

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Education

Buying the future

Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country

James Litinsky could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.3 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 James Litinsky could pay for it entirely for 0.4 years.

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Research

The monopoly on progress

Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country

James Litinsky could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.8 years.

And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide

But even if we compare the total wealth of James Litinsky 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 0.0 years.

While billions of people struggle to access basic healthcare, education, and research, a single individual could fund entire national systems for centuries.

Gold

Everyday luxuries

James Litinsky's fortune is equivalent to 7 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.

James Litinsky could buy 1,983,796 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 0 trucks to transport them. Although James Litinsky will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.

Biography

James Litinsky is the founder and CEO of MP Materials, which owns and operates the only rare earths mine in the United States in California.

Litinsky, after receiving his J.D. and M.B.A., began his career at Fortress Investment Group before launching his own hedge fund JHL Capital Group in 2006 with $11 million in backing.

JHL acquired the mine out of bankruptcy in 2017, orchestrated a cleanup effort, and took the company public in 2020 by merging it with a SPAC

MP Materials began production at its own magnet manufacturing factory in Fort Worth, Texas in 2024, and is working to build a second factory.

The U.S. Department of Defense acquired a $400 million stake in MP Materials in June 2025 and announced a 10-year partnership for buying the company's output.