Teo Swee Ann
Source of wealth: Semiconductors
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The scale of their wealth
Health
The price of life
Let's compare Teo Swee Ann's fortune with the healthcare spending of a massive country
Teo Swee Ann could fund the entire healthcare system of DR Congo, with a population of over 105,800,000 people, for approximately 0.8 years.
But even if we compare their fortune with that of a rich country
On the other end, Teo Swee Ann 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
Teo Swee Ann 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 Teo Swee Ann could pay for it entirely for 0.7 years.
Research
The monopoly on progress
Coming full circle, we think it's also interesting to add another gigantic country
Teo Swee Ann could fully fund the state research budget of Pakistan, the fifth most populous country in the world with over 260,000,000 inhabitants, for 2.8 years.
And of course, the country that invests the most per capita worldwide
But even if we compare the total wealth of Teo Swee Ann 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
Teo Swee Ann's fortune is equivalent to 12 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.
Teo Swee Ann could buy 3,092,692 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 Teo Swee Ann will almost certainly have enough money left over to pay for the gas.
Biography
Teo Swee Ann is the founder and CEO of Shanghai-listed semiconductor firm Espressif Systems.
Teo has a master's degree and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the National University of Singapore.
Teo worked with U.S. chipmakers Transilica and Marvell Technology Group and China's Montage Technology before founding his own firm in 2008.
The company's flagship ESP32 chips now power goods such as speakers, wearable devices and home appliances.
In 2019, Espressif sold 25% of its shares in an IPO that valued the company at $716 million.
Financial Assets
Monthly wealth history
Fortune comparison
Historical data not available for comparison