Scott Cook
Source of wealth: Software
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Scott Cook's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Scott Cook could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.4 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Scott Cook could cover the healthcare spending of Luxembourg, considered the most heavily funded healthcare system in the world, for 1.0 years.
Education
Buying the future
Let's also compare their fortune with education spending, first with a poor country
Scott Cook could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.5 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 Scott Cook could pay for it entirely for 2.1 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Scott Cook could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 8.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Scott Cook 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 0.2 years.
Gold
Everyday luxuries
Scott Cook's fortune is equivalent to 36 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.
Scott Cook could buy 9,549,901 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 2 trucks to transport them. Although Scott Cook will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Scott Cook is the cofounder of financial software giant Intuit, known for products like QuickBooks, TurboTax and Mint.
The Harvard Business School grad worked for Procter & Gamble and Bain before launching Intuit in 1983.
He stepped down as CEO in 1994, but remains chairman of the $16.3 billion (fiscal 2024 sales) company and has a 2.7% stake.
Cook and his wife are big supporters of education and have donated millions to universities and are impact investors in several ed-tech funds.
Cook was planning to get a Ph.D. in economics but decided to pursue business after successfully turning his defunct college ski club into the biggest in the state.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison