Wealth: $74bn
From: Entertainment, self-help, energy, technology, genetics, cosmetics
As Seen In: Watchmen (2009)
The Veidt tower, some 90-storeys tall, pierces the skyline of New York city. A golden V symbol sits atop the tower as an ever-prominent reminder of a man who has become as much a godlike icon in everyday culture as a godlike influence on the global economy.
Once known as masked hero Ozymandias, Adrian Veidt has seen vast profits from the marketing of his own image. Abandoning superhero work in favour of the business world only two years before the Keene Act, he set his empire on the foundation of self-modelled action figures.
Since those humble beginnings, Veidt Industries has expanded into a global conglomerate, spanning cosmetics (with the world-famous Nostalgia perfume range), self-help programmes, technology and genetics.
The company currently has a market capitalisation of over $160bn, while Veidt has sufficient personal wealth to privately fund his research projects in Antarctica – the complex alone costing well in excess of $500m.
Although extroverted when in the public eye, Veidt is surprisingly reclusive, spending much of his time in his Antarctic fortress with his genetically engineered cat Bubastis. There he is rumoured to watch upward of 20 separately tuned television screens to determine his forthcoming investment portfolio – a tactic that once made Veidt billions when he championed erotic entertainment, baby foods and maternity products in anticipation of worldwide nuclear anxiety.
Recent investments into electric cars have proved vastly successful, with Veidt energy hydrants now worldwide. Subsidiaries of Veidt Enterprises as small as Gordian Knot Lock Co., Pyramid Transnational and Promethean Cab have shown substantial strength in the development of Veidt’s vast mythologically themed conglomerate.
Despite inheriting a substantial fortune from his parents – themselves self-made millionaire immigrants – he gave the entirety of his wealth to charity. “I wanted to prove that I could accomplish anything I wanted starting from absolutely nothing. Also, I wanted to free myself of concern for money. Consequently, it’s never been a problem for me.”
He credits much of his worldly success to his Eastern pilgrimage following the life of his idol, Alexander of Macedonia. It was his interpretation of Alexander’s life that forced his resolve to pioneer a new renewable source of world energy – an aspiration that has caused conflict between Veidt and energy conglomerates worldwide, prompting his famous taunt to magnates that he was privately worth more than all of their corporations combined.
It is no wonder then that sustained high stock prices are hinged on his remaining tenure. Yet Veidt, ever modest in his approach to his persona, simply responds to his title, “No, that isn’t true, but it’s very flattering... I don’t mind being the smartest man in the world. I just wish it wasn’t this one.”
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Comments
FILMartin
Jan 17th 2012, 8:05
Ever heard of Scooge McDuck? He's been in movies. I think you'd have a hard time calculating his actual wealt, but since Wiki claims it is somewhere around "one multiplujillion, nine obsquatumatillion, six hundred twenty-three dollars and sixty-two cents" I would find it quite safe to just hand him first place on your list ;-)
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ash333
Jan 17th 2012, 11:07
What about Mason Verger? The meat trade must have made him at least a billionaire
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Devilangeldude
Jan 17th 2012, 11:35
I know you make these articles for fun, but someone should at least do their homework. I was just watching the Godfather Part III yesterday, and he was trying to buy a company owned by the Vatican and he had paid 600Million for that alone. At the start of part 3 they donate 100Million to the vatican in the name of his father Vito. In part 2 you find out that not only did he manage to buy that Casino he wanted in part 1, but he owns more than one and was seeking to buy further. So in Summary Michael Corleone is in the Billionaire row.
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apo1978
Jan 17th 2012, 13:45
Mr. Burns should be there somewhere surely? Damn your oily hides!
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Hadouken76
Jan 17th 2012, 17:04
Im surprised Ernst Blofeld isnt it there, the guy had a frikkin' VOLCANO pimped out!
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Hadouken76
Jan 17th 2012, 17:04
Im surprised Ernst Blofeld isnt in there, the guy had a frikkin' VOLCANO pimped out!
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durden
Jan 17th 2012, 18:53
yep,good list!i like it.although Mr.Burns should be in there...
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QuietLife
Jan 18th 2012, 8:41
When are people gonna' realise that these lists are for entertainment purposes only? It's not the history of Economics. Keep it up TF, another fun read.
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MrScary
Jan 19th 2012, 18:26
Ummm...Scarface took place in Miami, not Los Angeles.
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FBMDarmanto
Feb 20th 2012, 7:32
You do know Ernst Stavro Blofeld, don't you? A guy who had an international crime organisation, can build a base inside a volcano, how come he not in the top 50? Even the spin-off character, Dr. Evil included :p
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firas76
Mar 24th 2012, 22:10
Belofeld is there, right??? if not they should have their heads examined
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tombauer
Mar 26th 2012, 19:40
To be fair, this all originally appeared in the magazine a couple of months back. When it was in the mag there was a special Bond rich list, obviously they didn't carry it over to the web. In the bond rich list I think was Hugo Drax who came top, and I reckon with fair reason given he had his own space station...
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rosshorgan
Jan 5th 2013, 20:23
you missed 2 crucial ones. Smaug - The accumulated value of all the gold & jewels has been estimated to be at least $60 billion Xerxes - His empire, at it's biggest extent, covered nearly all of Asia, about half of Europe, and most of North Africa. How much do you reckon that's worth? probably somewhere north of $100 billion..
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