Yes, this is generally underestimated. The closer I've worked with this class the more it becomes apparent in quiet anecdotes that don't always make the official bios or wikis.
Most self-made billionaires came from at least millionaire families.
Generally hard working, smart guys with a lot of skill & luck, but they start at a level we can only dream that maybe our children or grandchildren can start from.
I once worked for a billionaire investor who told us how he got started investing when his father offered him the choice at 13 years old: have his birthday party at one of the most famous & expensive hotels in NYC, or take the cash value of that to invest in stocks. The dollar figure seemed to be something like the equivalent of $50k in 2020 dollars. Much like orange man who got "a small loan of $1M from his father", I am sure the $50k given to a 13 year old was not the first or the last paternal investment.
Another firm managing ~$10B there was a guy who unbelievably made it to the C-suite in his 20s. It was never clear exactly what the connection was, but he was some sort of family friend of the founder and worked for him as a teen. He was also related to a big bank CEO.
> Another firm managing ~$10B there was a guy who unbelievably made it to the C-suite in his 20s. It was never clear exactly what the connection was, but he was some sort of family friend of the founder and worked for him as a teen. He was also related to a big bank CEO.
