Forbes April 2021

This year’s Billionaires list, which over the course of the pandemic year added a net 493 new members and more than $5 trillion in wealth, will surely make worldwide headlines for all the obvious reasons. But as I note in our cover essay (page 70), we’re in a moment of profound change, with so many good things portending a future of broad prosperity. Part of that change revolves around companies recognizing their role as a positive influence, including a commitment to look more like the world around them. That’s particularly true for places like Forbes, which help shape ideas and terms of debate for millions. In that spirit, we’re trying to do something that not only makes our newsroom better but helps repair the pipeline for business journalism overall. Please meet the…

The sweeping lockdowns imposed a little over a year ago, during the world’s worst pandemic since the Spanish flu of 1918-20, were supposed to be a short-term solution to avoid overwhelming our hospitals. Yet here we are, over a year later, with restrictions of varying degrees still with us. They’re being lifted, but at a pace that’s far too slow, which is doing unnecessary damage to schoolkids in particular and the economy in general. Soon, almost anyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one. Moreover, for months we’ve had highly effective therapeutics with which to fight the disease when someone who contracts a severe case of Covid-19 is hospitalized. This is why the lockdowns should be ended right away. It was clear by late spring of last year that the…

It’s been a year like no other, and we aren’t talking about the pandemic. There were rapid-fire public offerings, surging cryptocurrencies and skyrocketing stock prices. The number of billionaires simply exploded. Forbes found an unprecedented 2,755 around the world—660 more than a year ago. A staggering 86% are richer than they were then. Altogether they’re worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020; their average net worth is $4.7 billion, $900 million more than last year. The U.S. still has the most billionaires, with 724, followed by Greater China with 698. We used stock prices and exchange rates from March 5, 2021, to calculate net worths. For the full list of the world’s billionaires and our methodology, please visit forbes.com/billionaires. 1. Jeff Bezos $177 BIL ⬆ • SOURCE: AMAZON AGE: 57 •…

Sheldon Adelson AGE: 87 The casino magnate and GOP megadonor built Las Vegas Sands into an empire, amassing a $35 billion fortune, and made bold gambles to rescue the company from near-failure during the Great Recession. Joseph Safra AGE: 82 The world’s richest banker, worth $23 billion, he owned three banks on three continents, London’s Gherkin skyscraper and 50% of banana producer Chiquita. Lee Kun-hee AGE: 78 Lee inherited Samsung Group in 1987 from his father, founder Lee Byung-chull, and built it into South Korea’s biggest conglomerate. Twice pardoned for bribery and tax charges, he had been in a coma since 2014. Benjamin de Rothschild AGE 57 The heir to Edmond de Rothschild, the European bank founded in 1953 by his father, he died of a heart attack in January. His widow, Ariane de Rothschild, has been chair of the bank…

Marcel Adams AGE: 100 • Real estate Edmund Ansin 84 • Television Jeronimo Arango 94 • Retail David Barclay 86 • Media, retail Stephen Bechtel Jr. 95 • Construction Dmitry Bosov 52 • Coal mining Chang Yun Chung 102 • Shipping Eduardo Cojuangco 85 • Food, drinks Olivier Dassault 69 • Diversified Aloysio de Andrade Faria 99 • Banking Manuel Jove 78 • Real estate Suna Kirac 79 • Diversified Manuel Moroun 93 • Transportation Park Yeon-cha 74 • Sneakers Sumner Redstone 97 • Media Randall Rollins 88 • Pest control Sheldon Solow 92 • Real estate Heinz Hermann Thiele 79 • Brakes Arne Wilhelmsen 90 • Cruise ships…

Which artificial intelligence companies are for real? Forbes partnered with venture firms Sequoia Capital and Meritech Capital to create our third annual list of today’s most promising private businesses using AI. The full list is available at forbes.com/ai50. Here are five standouts, along with recent PitchBook valuations: FARMWISE ($45 MIL) Makes AI-powered farm equipment that can eradicate weeds from fields without the use of herbicides. GATIK ($58 MIL) Walmart is testing its autonomous-driving trucks as a new means of delivery. SENTROPY ($50 MIL) Aids online platforms in moderating online abuse, increasing engagement and decreasing churn. VERGE GENOMICS ($60 MIL) AI to help discover new drugs for brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The field’s first candidate, for ALS, will enter human trials next year. WHISPER ($198 MIL) Its hearing aids offer bett er sound quality thanks to AI.…