These Groundbreakers Were the First Billionaires in Their Fields—Taylor Swift, Rockefeller, Bezos, Johnson, Gates, Winklevoss, Jordan, Stewart, MrBeast, and Jay‑Z
The First Musician Billionaire: Taylor Swift (2023)
I’ll never forget the day I learned that Taylor Swift became the first musician to cross the billion-dollar mark solely from music. It wasn’t Prince or Madonna—it was Taylor. In 2023, she hit that milestone through album sales, tours like Eras, streaming, merchandise, and savvy rights ownership. It doesn’t surprise me—her connection with fans, her relentless creativity, and her command of the music industry made it inevitable. (Sources: Forbes, Bloomberg.)
The First Billionaire in History: John D. Rockefeller (1916)
Let’s travel back to 1916—over a century ago—when oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller quietly etched his name into history as the first person to ever reach a billion-dollar net worth. His Standard Oil empire had made him richer than any individual in the modern world. I think about how staggering that was back then—without modern markets, tech platforms, or complex finance—he simply built infrastructure and scaled relentlessly.
The First Internet Billionaire: Jeff Bezos (1998)
From oil to the early internet era, the next leap came with Jeff Bezos. In 1998, Amazon went from being a garage experiment to the first internet billionaire. I remember the early Amazon days, ordering books from my childhood bedroom, and wondering if this tiny company could ever matter. Bezos not only saw the web’s potential but turned it into an empire—now Amazon is synonymous with e-commerce.
The First Black Billionaire: Robert L. Johnson (2001)
Fast-forward to 2001—and Robert L. Johnson breaks another barrier by becoming the first Black billionaire. He built BET (Black Entertainment Television) from scratch and sold it to Viacom. I think about the symbolism of that: a Black man building a media network that spoke to Black culture, turning it into massive wealth, then paving the way for others.
The First Billionaire in Tech: Bill Gates (1987)
Sure, Bezos got to internet billionaire. But the absolute first tech billionaire? Bill Gates. In 1987, as Microsoft’s groundbreaking Windows and Office software took off, Gates became the first person to hit billionaire status purely from tech. His early startup, relentless focus on software, and vision for personal computing changed everything—even for people like me who grew up relying on Windows PCs.
The First Bitcoin Billionaires: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (2019)
Then came crypto. In 2019, the famous Winklevoss twins—yes, the same from the Facebook lawsuit—became the first Bitcoin billionaires. They’d invested early in Bitcoin, and as its value exploded, they crossed the billion-dollar mark. It feels surreal: from rowing teammates and lawsuit counterparts to crypto billionaires. It captures how fast innovation can remake fortunes.
The First Athlete Billionaire: Michael Jordan (2014)
For me, this one hits home. The first athlete to become a billionaire? Michael Jordan. He officially crossed that threshold in 2014 thanks to his post-career earnings from the Jordan brand, Nike deals, ownership stakes in the NBA (Charlotte Hornets), and savvy investments. He transcended sport—not just because he was great on the court, but because he leveraged his brand into business cohesion.
The First Self-Made Female Billionaire: Martha Stewart (1999)
Another first that matters: Martha Stewart. In 1999 she became the first self-made female billionaire. Through her lifestyle magazine, TV shows, cookbooks, retail lines—she built a media empire on homemaking. She showed that brand, identity, and consistent content could create real wealth long before influencer culture blew up.
The First YouTube Billionaire: MrBeast (2024)
And here we are in the modern age: in 2024, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) became the first YouTube billionaire. Watching his videos—where he gives away millions in challenges—was entertaining, but it also made me realize how monetizing views, merch, sponsorships, and mega-scale content can actually create megawatt wealth.
The First Hip‑Hop Billionaire: Jay‑Z (2019)
Finally, hip-hop’s first billionaire arrives in 2019: Jay‑Z. And not just from music, but from business ventures—Rocawear, streaming stakes in Tidal, art, alcohol brands like Armand de Brignac. His journey is one of reinvention and business acumen as much as art. He rose from the projects to Jay‑Z, then dominion in enterprise.
The First Film-Industry Billionaire: George Lucas (1997)
Let’s be real—if anyone deserves the crown of “first billionaire in film,” it’s George Lucas. He didn’t just direct Star Wars—he created an entire universe that became a business empire. In 1997, Lucas officially became the first billionaire in the movie industry, not because he made the most movies, but because he owned what he built.
He made a brilliant move early on: he gave up his director’s fee for A New Hope in exchange for full merchandising and sequel rights. At the time, that sounded crazy—but by the late ’90s, toys, licensing, and re-releases had turned Star Wars into a financial force that blew past the box office.
What makes Lucas different is that he treated film like tech. He built Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound—changing the way movies were made. He didn’t just tell stories; he built platforms for other storytellers.
By the time he sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012 for over $4 billion, he had long passed billionaire status. But 1997 was when the world realized—George Lucas wasn’t just a filmmaker, he was the Steve Jobs of cinema.
Why These Stories Matter
Each of these figures represents more than money—they symbolize breaking molds in culture, industry, and identity. Rockefeller built from raw infrastructure. Gates cracked the code on software. Johnson broke racial wealth barriers. Swift proved music still matters in the streaming era. MrBeast and the Winklevoss twins show us that content and crypto are new routes to riches.
I love seeing how these disruptors made wealth while shaping culture. They didn’t just get rich—they changed the game.
So when someone says, “Nobody gets rich just from creativity,” show them this list. And when someone says “tech is the only path,” remind them of Martha, Michael, Oprah, Swift, MrBeast, Jay‑Z.
We’re all still in the chapter, watching the next billionaires emerge from AI, climate tech, influencer networks, or digital fashion brands. The blueprint keeps updating—but the motivation remains the same: build something you believe in, and others will stand behind it.