Co-founder, Google
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index has Sergey Brin at number seven, with a net worth of US$122 billion as of November 2021. Brin, who set up his family office in Singapore, was born in Moscow in 1973 to Jewish parents who escaped anti-Semitism in the former Soviet Union and emigrated to the USA.
Brin co-founded Google with Larry Page in 1998 when they were students at Stanford University, California. Both have also collaborated to solve the Earth’s energy and climate problems by investing in the alternative-energy industry through Google’s philanthropic arm. The magnate has investments in companies such as Tesla and Space Adventures, a Virginia-based space-tourism company.
Work aside, Brin finds time for high-adrenaline exercise, including flying trapeze, roller hockey and springboard diving. Bringing an element of fun to the office, he has been spotted arriving to meetings in rollerblades.
Brin actively supports and funds research on Parkinson’s disease. In 2008 he discovered that he carried a defective gene which would increase his chance of developing the illness.
Awards
2003
Entrepreneur of the Year—Ernst & Young
2004
Golden Plate Award—American Academy of Achievement
2004
Marconi Prize
Did You Know?
Both computer-science undergraduates at the time, Brin and Page started their search engine in 1996 and called it BackRub, which was later renamed Google.