Forbes’ new ranking of the 40 richest self-made billionaires under 40 reads like a roll call of the AI age, tying the all-time record for young self-made billionaires and underscoring how fast fortunes are being minted in tech. That boom is real, and it ought to make every American pause: celebrate entrepreneurial success, yes, but don’t pretend wealth that concentrates so quickly isn’t reshaping our economy and politics.
Topping the list is 38-year-old Edwin Chen, founder of Surge AI, whose estimated $18 billion fortune and reported company revenue reflect how AI has become the fastest lane to billionaire status in this decade. These are not small exits or legacy inheritances; they are massive private valuations and revenue streams built by a young generation of founders.
Forbes reports there are 71 self-made billionaires aged 39 or younger as of December 2025, a number that ties the peak from the 2021 frenzy, though the combined wealth of this group is only about half of that earlier peak. That gap tells a story: the headline count can look impressive while the underlying concentration and volatility of wealth have shifted dramatically.
Most of these young billionaires made their fortunes in tech and finance—48 in tech and another 12 in finance—with roughly 32 Americans among them and only eight women represented. That distribution shows where the opportunities and the power currently sit, and it should make defenders of the status quo ask whether our policies reward innovation or simply funnel capital to a narrow set of players.
As a conservative, I cheer the self-made success stories because America was built on risk-taking and hustle, not on government handouts or identity politics. But patriotism also means standing up for the hardworking Americans who build our communities and yet see these sky-high fortunes and wonder if the game is rigged. Small businesses, family farms, and Main Street deserve the same chance at success that these tech founders received.
We should also not ignore the cautionary tales Forbes mentions alongside its shiny list—high-profile flameouts and scandals remind us that enormous private fortunes can be unstable and sometimes built on shaky foundations. From ousters and ethics inquiries to criminal frauds in past cycles, history proves that unregulated booms breed both innovators and grifters, and the consequences often land hardest on ordinary people.
The conservative remedy is straightforward: unleash opportunity, not bailouts or favoritism. Cut the regulatory red tape that stifles startups, stop subsidizing politically connected winners, lower taxes on real investment, and make capital available to entrepreneurs across America so success isn’t limited to a few coastal zip codes. A free market that rewards merit and hard work is the surest path to broadly shared prosperity.
Hardworking Americans should applaud the ingenuity on display but demand accountability and fairness from our economic system. If we want a future where more young people can build companies and create good jobs, we must champion policies that protect competition, punish fraud, and keep the American dream alive for everyone willing to work for it.
