Robert F. Smith
Source of wealth: Private equity
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Robert F. Smith's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Robert F. Smith could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 4.5 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Robert F. Smith could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 2.0 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Robert F. Smith could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 3.0 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 Robert F. Smith could pay for it entirely for 4.0 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Robert F. Smith could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 16.9 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Robert F. Smith 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
Robert F. Smith's fortune is equivalent to 69 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.
Robert F. Smith could buy 18,368,067 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 Robert F. Smith will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Robert F. Smith founded private equity firm Vista Equity Partners in 2000. It focuses exclusively on investing in software companies.
With about $100 billion in assets, Vista is one of the best-performing private equity firms, posting annualized returns of 31% since inception.
In 2020, Smith entered into an agreement with the DOJ and the IRS, agreeing to pay $139 million for his role in a tax evasion scheme.
As a college student, Smith secured an internship at Bell Labs after calling the company every week for five months.
An engineer by training, he worked at Kraft Foods and Goodyear Tire before getting his MBA at Columbia University.
During a commencement speech, Smith vowed to wipe out the student debt of the entire 2019 graduating class of Morehouse College.
Financial Assets
Financial assets information not available.
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison