Adani vs Koch

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

The differences

Forbes puts Julia Koch about $0.7B ahead of Gautam Adani.Forbes figures from 22 Sep 2026 and 25 Aug 2026.
Gautam Adani: founded it. Julia Koch: through marriage.
Gautam Adani is from India; Julia Koch is from United States.

Put someone else on either side

Adani

Koch

Net worth, Forbes: $83.9BForbes, 25 Aug 2026; $84.6BForbes, 22 Sep 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $110BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026; $78.5BBloomberg, 10 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 24Real-Time list, 23 Aug 2026; No. 24Real-Time list, 22 Sep 2026
Billionaire since: 2008Forbes: first appeared on its billionaires list in 2008, with $9.3 billion; 2020Forbes named her the richest newcomer on its 2020 World's Billionaires list, at $38.2 billion, after David Koch died in 2019

How it started: Founded itFounded Adani Exports (now Adani Enterprises) in 1988 in Ahmedabad; the group describes him as a first-generation entrepreneur; Through marriageShe and her three children inherited the 42% Koch stake of her husband David Koch, who died in 2019; they married in 1996
Main source: Family stakes in the listed Adani Group companiesForbes gives the source as 'Infrastructure, commodities'; The family's inherited stake in Koch, Inc.Koch says it has diversified from energy into consumer, technology, communications, healthcare and real estate
Companies: Adani Group (Adani Enterprises), Adani Green EnergyAdani Group (Adani Enterprises): Founder and chairman; Adani Green Energy: Chairman of the board; Koch, Inc.Koch, Inc.: Board member
Biggest stake: Adani Group (Adani Enterprises)74.67% owned; Koch, Inc.42% owned

Born: 24 Jun 1962Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India; 1963Iowa, United States
Country: IndiaLives in Ahmedabad, India; United StatesLives in New York City, United States
Education: Not statedLeft school at 16 and joined the diamond trade in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1978; Bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree, University of Central Arkansas
Parents: Seventh of eight children of Shantilal Adani, a textile merchant, and Shanta Adani; Her family ran Flesher's, a used-furniture shop in Indianola, Iowa, where her father Frederic worked

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Adani FoundationThe group's social arm since 1996; he is listed as its president and Priti Adani as chairperson; Julia Koch Family FoundationFounded in 2023 with her children; she is also president of the David H. Koch Foundation
Lifetime giving: Not stated; $1.3BJulia Koch Family Foundation, 17 Oct 2026. 'More than $1.3 billion' given by David and Julia Koch together, through the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation and personal giving; a joint figure, not hers alone. Date is when the page was read

Role now: Chair of the boardFounder and chairman of the Adani Group; On the boardDirector of Koch, Inc.; chair of the Julia Koch Family Foundation and president of the David H. Koch Foundation
Successor: 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; No member of her family is named in a Koch executive role in the cited sources; Charles Koch is chairman and co-CEO with Dave RobertsonChase Koch is an executive vice president of Koch
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: 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.; None found