Forbes April/May 2022

Forbes boasts roughly 40 independent editions around the world, the vast majority published in the local language. I’ve had the pleasure to work with great editors from Vienna to Vietnam, India to Israel. But I’ve never been as honored to call journalists colleagues as with the staff of Forbes Ukraine. Given Vladimir Putin’s brutal, immoral invasion, the Forbes Ukraine team would be perfectly justified to focus on the safety of their families. Instead, they chose to fight. A few literally: The 30-year-old who previously oversaw fact-checking, Maksym Skubenko, enlisted in the defense force despite no military experience. “I don’t know what is happening,” Skubenko said after his first battle. “I just absolutely know I have to be here.” Most of the two dozen other journalists combat Putin with a weapon he dreads:…

The crypto world heaved a sigh of relief regarding President Biden’s new executive order on the industry. Those positive feelings are misplaced. For months the digital-asset industry has been on tenterhooks as the Biden Administration prepared an executive order on how the government would deal with the explosive growth of crypto assets. In five years their total market cap has grown 300-fold to more than $3 trillion. Crypto enthusiasts feared Washington would take a regulatory sledgehammer to the industry. Instead, the order seems to provide sensible frameworks for dealing with this phenomenon. Many industry participants recognized that regulations of some sort were coming and were thus delighted that Uncle Sam would be taking a reasonable, responsible approach. Alas, despite soothing words about the desire to “reinforce United States leadership in the global financial…

• The Leopard at des Artistes 1 West 67th St. (Tel.: 212-787-8767) This former Special still is. The Howard Chandler Christy murals are as robust as ever, and the Italian cuisine is equally fulsome. A spaghetti special with sun-dried tomatoes and a Parmesan sauce is a tangy lead-in for the pollo arrosto with Swiss chard and Calabrian peppers. The venison is extremely tender. The flourless chocolate mousse cake with caramelized hazelnuts is the perfect finale to your evening. The maître d’ runs a tight ship, and the service is excellent. • Petite Boucherie 14 Christopher St. (Tel.: 646-756-4145) Looking at the decor and tasting the French fare here and at big brother Boucherie West Village (99 Seventh Avenue South), you could easily pretend you’re in Paris. Everything from grilled octopus to lamb chops to steak…

Over a volatile year capped by a worldwide plunge in stock prices, the number of billionaires on our 36th annual list fell to 2,668—87 fewer than a year ago. Altogether they’re worth $12.7 trillion, down from $13.1 trillion. The U.S. remains home to the most, with 735, followed by greater China (including Hong Kong and Macau), with 607. To calculate net worths, we used stock prices from March 11, 2022. For the full list of billionaires and our methodology, please see forbes.com/billionaires. 1. Elon Musk Net worth: $219 BIL ↑ • Source: TESLA, SPACEX • Age: 50 • Citizenship: U.S. In March, the world’s richest person challenged Vladimir Putin, who some think is likely as rich (see page 104), to single combat days after SpaceX, now the U.S.’s second-most-valuable unicorn, began sending telecom…

RJ Scaringe COUNTRY: United States NET WORTH: Less than $700 mil (down from $3.4 bil) A year ago his electric vehicle maker, Rivian, was cruising down easy street, having raised a record $23.1 billion on the way to a $90 billion IPO in November. But the founder and CEO has struggled to ramp up production ever since, disappointing analysts and sending shares spiraling by 64%. Oleg Tinkov Russia • Less than $700 mil (down from $4.7 bil) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and the avalanche of Western sanctions that followed—have crushed many fortunes: Tinkov is one of 35 Russians who tumbled from the ranks. Shares of his digital bank, Tinkoff, shed 90% of their value in London before trading was suspended on March 2. Whitney Wolfe Herd United States • Less than $700 mil (down from $1.3 bil) She became the…

Public offerings like South Korean e-commerce company Coupang’s and soaring valuations of standouts like productivity software maker Airtable helped propel 15 newcomers and nine returnees onto the Midas List. Here are highlights of this year’s ranking, including the Top 20 and a new No. 1. For the rest of the Midas top 100, bios, analysis and more, please visit forbes.com/midas. CRYPTO CAPITALIST In 2013, serial entrepreneur turned venture capitalist Chris Dixon was searching for the next big thing. The 1980s had personal computers, the ’90s the internet and the 2000s mobile phones. A newly minted partner at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, Dixon started chasing “moon shots”—virtual reality, 3D printing, drones. But it was an early bet on Coinbase, the cryptocurrency exchange, that has defined Dixon’s career. His firm led a $25 million funding…