Romanian among 125 non-American billionaires residing in the United States
Immigrant Billionaires Shape the US Landscape in 2021
In 2021, the Forbes list of billionaires featured several immigrant billionaires residing in the United States, despite the specific list of immigrant billionaires not being detailed. This diverse group of wealthy individuals has significantly contributed to various industries, particularly technology and artificial intelligence.
One of the most prominent figures on this list is Elon Musk, born in South Africa but now a U.S. resident, who founded Tesla and SpaceX. Although his net worth in 2021 was less than the $393.1 billion reported in 2025, he was still among the wealthiest individuals globally.
Another notable figure is Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google who was born in Russia and is now a U.S. citizen. In 2021, Brin's net worth was estimated to be over $100 billion. Google co-founder Brin's family moved to the United States from Russia when he was 6 years old to escape the antisemitism they faced in their home country.
Jensen Huang, born in Taiwan and now a U.S. resident, is the co-founder and CEO of Nvidia. Huang's net worth significantly increased over the years, reaching $113 billion by 2025.
These individuals, along with others, represent the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of immigrants in the U.S. As of 2021, the overall list of immigrant billionaires would have included individuals from diverse backgrounds and industries.
Ion Stoica, a Romanian billionaire living in the United States, is another notable figure. Although he is not included in Forbes' list of immigrant billionaires living in the United States, as he is not a U.S. citizen, his wealth has significantly increased from approximately USD 1.2 billion last year to USD 25 billion this year. Stoica is a UC Berkeley computer science professor and currently serves as the co-founder and executive chairman of Databricks, a company headquartered in San Francisco that specializes in big data management and artificial intelligence. Investors have valued Databricks at USD 62 billion in 2021.
Interestingly, three of the 10 richest people in America (and in the world) are immigrants. Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, is one of these immigrants. He was born in South Africa and came to the US via Canada.
This list of immigrant billionaires in the United States, as per Forbes, includes 125 foreign-born American citizens, representing 41 countries. Romanians Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia are among the founders of Databricks. Stoica currently lives in Berkeley, California.
In conclusion, the contributions of immigrant billionaires in the United States are significant and diverse, reflecting the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit of immigrants in the country. These individuals have shaped various industries, particularly technology and AI, and continue to contribute to the U.S. economy.
Technology and finance are two industries that have been significantly shaped by immigrant billionaires in the United States, with Elon Musk (founder of Tesla and SpaceX) and Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) contributing to technology, while Jensen Huang (co-founder and CEO of Nvidia) and Ion Stoica (co-founder and executive chairman of Databricks) have played crucial roles in the advancement of artificial intelligence. The latter has been highly successful in big data management, with Databricks being valued at over $62 billion in 2021.
