4. Elon Musk
When it comes to wielding power on the world stage, it’s not just politicians and religious leaders who hold the reigns. Like the oil barons of the early 20th century, the titans of the tech industry hold an increasingly tighter grip on the world we live in today. The man currently sitting at the top of that pile is South African born Elon Musk.
Growing up in Pretoria before moving to America to study at the University of Pennsylvania, Musk went from creating a software startup called Zip2 (which he sold for $307 million in 1999) to become the richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of $219 billion.
While you might not think running the electric vehicle maker Tesla and founding SpaceX in 2002 would have much influence on the world stage, his recent moves to acquire social media giant Twitter for $44 billion means that he will have a greater influence on peoples everyday lives.
