Koch vs Adani

Koch, Inc. and Adani Group (Adani Enterprises).

The differences

Forbes puts Gautam Adani about $7B ahead of Charles Koch.Forbes figures from 25 Aug 2026 and 14 Oct 2026.
Charles Koch: inherited and grew it. Gautam Adani: founded it.
Charles Koch is about 27 years older than Gautam Adani.
Charles Koch is from United States; Gautam Adani is from India.

Put someone else on either side

Koch

Adani

Net worth, Forbes: $76.9BForbes, 14 Oct 2026; $83.9BForbes, 25 Aug 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $70.5BBloomberg, 10 Oct 2026; $110BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 28Real-Time list, 14 Oct 2026; No. 24Real-Time list, 23 Aug 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2008Forbes: first appeared on its billionaires list in 2008, with $9.3 billion

How it started: Inherited and grew itHis father Fred Koch started the family business in 1940; Charles joined in 1961, became chairman and CEO in 1967 and grew it into a diversified group; in 1983 he and his brother David bought out two siblings; Founded itFounded Adani Exports (now Adani Enterprises) in 1988 in Ahmedabad; the group describes him as a first-generation entrepreneur
Main source: Koch, Inc. (Koch Industries), a private conglomerateForbes: pipelines, chemicals, software, automotive components and Dixie cups, some $125 billion in revenue; Family stakes in the listed Adani Group companiesForbes gives the source as 'Infrastructure, commodities'
Companies: Koch, Inc.Koch, Inc.: Chairman and co-CEO; Adani Group (Adani Enterprises), Adani Green EnergyAdani Group (Adani Enterprises): Founder and chairman; Adani Green Energy: Chairman of the board
Biggest stake: Koch, Inc.38% owned; Adani Group (Adani Enterprises)74.67% owned

Born: 1 Nov 1935Wichita, Kansas, United States; 24 Jun 1962Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Country: United StatesLives in Wichita, Kansas, United States; IndiaLives in Ahmedabad, India
Education: Graduate degreeBS in general engineering (1957), MS in nuclear engineering (1958) and MS in chemical engineering (1959), MIT; Not statedLeft school at 16 and joined the diamond trade in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1978
Parents: Father Fred C. Koch was an MIT-trained engineer who developed an oil-refining process and ran refining, engineering and ranching businesses; mother Mary's occupation not statedHis biography calls his upbringing 'comfortable'; Seventh of eight children of Shantilal Adani, a textile merchant, and Shanta Adani

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Stand TogetherFounded in 2003 and the hub of his philanthropy; he also founded the Charles Koch Foundation; Adani FoundationThe group's social arm since 1996; he is listed as its president and Priti Adani as chairperson
Lifetime giving: $1.8BForbes, 10 Oct 2023. Forbes' estimate of lifetime giving, excluding amounts not yet distributed; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyChairman and co-CEO of Koch, Inc.; Chair of the boardFounder and chairman of the Adani Group
Successor: None namedDave Robertson became co-CEO alongside him in 2023; his son Chase Koch is executive vice president for origination and partnerships; The group names four successors: his sons Karan Adani (managing director, Adani Ports) and Jeet Adani (director, Adani Airport Holdings), his nephew Sagar Adani (executive director, Adani Green Energy) and Pranav Adani (director, Adani Enterprises)From the group's 2024 succession briefing, which names no single successor; Britannica names Karan and Jeet as his sons and the SEC names Sagar as his nephew
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; 2026: US SECWithout admitting or denying the SEC's 2024 allegations of false statements about anti-bribery compliance in Adani Green Energy's 2021 bond offering, he consented to a final judgment with a $6 million civil penalty and an injunction, subject to court approval. Separately, a US federal court in Brooklyn dismissed the criminal counts against him with prejudice at the Justice Department's request; there was no conviction.