Martin Lorentzon
Source of wealth: Spotify
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Martin Lorentzon's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Martin Lorentzon could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.4 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Martin Lorentzon could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.9 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Martin Lorentzon could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.9 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 Martin Lorentzon could pay for it entirely for 3.9 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Martin Lorentzon could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 16.3 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Martin Lorentzon 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 0.4 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Martin Lorentzon's fortune is equivalent to 67 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.
Martin Lorentzon could buy 17,757,564 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 3 trucks to transport them. Although Martin Lorentzon will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Martin Lorentzon cofounded Spotify in 2006 with his friend Daniel Ek; they launched the streaming music service two years later.
The service has more than 180 million users, 87 million of whom are paying subscribers.
Via a dual-class share system, Lorentzon, a Swedish entrepreneur, owns 12% of the shares, but has 43% voting control.
Lorentzon is a Silicon Valley-veteran who held senior roles at search engine Alta Vista in the 1990s; he took European ad network Tradedoubler public.
Spotify listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange in early April 2018 in an unusual direct listing, without the help of investment banks.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison