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Only four black billionaires made it onto Forbes Magazine's closely watched 2025 Forbes 400 list, underscoring both the wealth gap at the very top and the shifting fortunes of America’s richest.
The minimum net worth to qualify this year soared to $3.8 billion, edging out longtime fixtures like Oprah Winfrey. Jay-Z, Tyler Perry, Adebayo Ogunlesi and golf superstar Tiger Woods also failed to make the cut.
Leading the pack is Alex Karp, the co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, who joins the ranking with an estimated fortune of $14.3 billion. He is followed by David Steward, chairman of IT giant World Wide Technology, with $12 billion.
Robert F. Smith, the private-equity investor behind Vista Equity Partners and one of the country’s best-known Black philanthropists, secured a spot with $10 billion. Rounding out the group is basketball legend Michael Jordan, who just clears the cutoff at $3.8 billion thanks to his enduring brand power and savvy investments.
The small number highlights the uphill climb for black wealth at the very highest levels. A handful of moguls seen as the African-American staples of the Forbes billionaires list —media queen Winfrey, rapper-turned-businessman Jay-Z, filmmaker Perry and Wall Street veteran Ogunlesi—did not make the cut this year as their fortunes fell below the record threshold.
Forbes’ 400 remains the benchmark of billionaire wealth in America, and this year’s shake-up shows just how competitive the ranks have become. With soaring fortunes in technology and finance, even billionaires with household names can find themselves edged out.
