John Phillips
Source of wealth: investments
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare John Phillips's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
John Phillips could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.7 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, John Phillips could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 0.3 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
John Phillips could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 0.5 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 John Phillips could pay for it entirely for 0.6 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
John Phillips could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.7 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of John Phillips 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 0.1 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
John Phillips's fortune is equivalent to 11 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.
John Phillips could buy 2,879,649 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 1 trucks to transport them. Although John Phillips will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
John Phillips is an angel investor who made an early bet on Shopify, a Canadian e-commerce software company.
He and his wife Catherine Phillips together own an estimated 2% of Shopify.
John served on Shopify's board of directors from 2010 to 2023.
The couple has invested in a slew of other early-stage companies that are lesser known, like Virtual Marine Technology and Sequence Bio.
John previously spent 25 years as a corporate lawyer, including as general counsel at telecom firm Clearnet Communications.
The Phillips' Northpine Foundation has donated hundreds of millions to organizations focused on climate, refugees and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison