Mikhelson vs Scott

NOVATEK and Amazon.

The differences

Forbes puts Leonid Mikhelson about $1B ahead of MacKenzie Scott.Forbes figures from 9 Oct 2026 and 9 Oct 2026.
Leonid Mikhelson: founded it. MacKenzie Scott: through marriage.
Leonid Mikhelson is about 15 years older than MacKenzie Scott.
MacKenzie Scott has signed the Giving Pledge; Leonid Mikhelson has not.
Leonid Mikhelson is from Russia; MacKenzie Scott is from United States.

Put someone else on either side

Mikhelson

Scott

Net worth, Forbes: $28.3BForbes, 9 Oct 2026; $27.3BForbes, 9 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $23.2BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026; $36.4BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 81Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026; No. 88Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; 2020Forbes: she made her debut on its annual billionaires list in 2020

How it started: Founded itForbes calls him Novatek's founder (it began in 1994 as Novafininvest); he bought control of SIBUR from Gazprombank in 2010-2011. Forbes' 2006 list called his fortune 'inherited and growing', noting his father ran the USSR's largest pipeline-construction trust; Through marriageReceived shares equal to about 4% of Amazon in her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos; she was Amazon's first accountant, and Britannica says she founded the company with him in 1994
Main source: Novatek and SIBUR stockBloomberg: 'The majority of Leonid Mikhelson's fortune is derived from a 25% stake in Novatek'; Amazon stockBloomberg: 'The majority of MacKenzie Scott's fortune is derived from roughly 68 million shares in Amazon'
Companies: NOVATEK, SIBURNOVATEK: Chairman of the management board and board member; SIBUR: Chairman of the board of directors; AmazonAmazon: None; one of the first employees
Biggest stake: SIBUR30.6% owned; Amazon0.63% owned

Born: 11 Aug 1955Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia (then the Soviet Union); 7 Apr 1970San Francisco, California, United States
Country: RussiaLives in Moscow, Russia; United StatesLives in Seattle, Washington, United States
Education: Not statedCivil construction engineering, Kuibyshev Institute of Civil Engineering (1977); Bachelor's degreeBA in English, Princeton University (1992)
Parents: His father Viktor Mikhelson headed the Kuibyshevtruboprovodstroy trust, which Forbes called the largest pipeline-construction trust in the USSR; Her father ran an investment-advisory firm and her mother stayed home with the children; the family lost its homes after the firm failed while she was in high school

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Signed in 2019
Foundation: V-A-C Foundation (Victoria - the Art of Being Contemporary)Founded by him in Moscow in 2009, named after his daughter; Yield GivingHer giving vehicle; it reports over $26 billion in 2,700+ gifts
Lifetime giving: Not stated; $26.4BForbes, 15 Sep 2026. Forbes: 'the $26.4 billion she has given to more than 2,700 nonprofits', as reported on Yield Giving

Role now: Runs the companyChairman of NOVATEK's management board; chairman of SIBUR's board; No rolePhilanthropist; founder of Yield Giving
Successor: Not stated; Not stated
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; None found