The Road To The First Trillionaire: How American Wealth Exploded

How did America go from its first self-made millionaire in the 1780s to the possibility of the world's first trillionaire? In this Forbes deep dive, Assistant Managing Editor Chase Peterson-Withorn explores the history of extreme wealth—from early American fortunes to industrial giants like John D. Rockefeller and modern tech leaders such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk. Discover how wealth records have been repeatedly shattered, what drives today's unprecedented accumulation of wealth, and whether the world is entering a new era of trillionaire fortunes. Is there still a limit to how rich someone can become? 0:00 - The Birth of American Wealth (1780s) 0:57 - The Gilded Age & John D. Rockefeller 2:41 The Software Revolution: Enter Bill Gates 3:42 The Trillion-Dollar Milestone: Elon Musk & SpaceX 4:53 Has the Wealth Ceiling Been Obliterated? Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewit... Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?s... Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more: https://account.forbes.com/membership... Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter:   / forbes   Forbes Video on Instagram:   / forbes   More From Forbes: http://forbes.com Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.