Stephen Cohen
Source of wealth: Software
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Stephen Cohen's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Stephen Cohen could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 2.2 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Stephen Cohen 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
Stephen Cohen could cover the total cost of Nigeria's education system, the most populous country in Africa with over 243,000,000 inhabitants, for 1.4 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 Stephen Cohen could pay for it entirely for 1.9 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Stephen Cohen could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 8.2 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Stephen Cohen 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
Stephen Cohen's fortune is equivalent to 33 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.
Stephen Cohen could buy 8,863,343 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 Stephen Cohen will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Stephen Cohen cofounded data mining firm Palantir around the time he finished college in 2003 and is currently president and secretary.
Cohen's fortune comes from his approximately 1.5% stake in the company, which went public in 2020 in an unusual direct listing.
He has held various roles at Palantir, including a stint as vice president where he interviewed as many as 50 prospective employees a week.
Cohen is a protege of billionaire investor Peter Thiel; he worked for Thiel's hedge fund while he was in college.
Cohen has said he didn't sleep Tuesdays through Thursdays during his last quarter at Stanford because of his work for Thiel's hedge fund.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison