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(Laura Figi/Austonia)
The 2021 Forbes 400 is here and the rich are getting richer—the 400 richest Americans got 40% wealthier and the cutoff to make the list is higher than ever before at $2.9 billion. The jump cost Austin two slots on the list but out of the 37 Texan billionaires, seven of them call the capital city home.
Austin's most affluent have amassed $262.1 billion altogether, though $190.5 billion comes from transplant Elon Musk. Houston and Dallas boast most of the rest of the state's billionaires, though Fort Worth had a few as well.
Two names were axed: John Paul DeJoria, founder of tequila company Patrón Spirits Co and co-founder of haircare brand John Paul Mitchell Systems, and Brian Sheth, co-founder of Vista Equity Partners. DeJoria was $100 million short of making the cut and Sheth went from a net worth of $2.3 billion to $900 million, a far cry from the quota.
According to Forbes, fortunes were calculated using stock prices and exchange rates from Sept. 3, 2021.
Elon Musk, $190.5 billion
At second place on the list, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is only trumped by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at $201 billion. The two billionaires have historically been neck and neck, in terms of money and the space race, frequently switching places with each other. Musk has gained $39 billion since April 2021 and $122.5 billion since last year's Forbes 400.
Michael Dell, $50.1 billion
Maintaining his spot at 18th place on the list, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies Michael Dell was by far the richest man in Austin until Musk came to town. Since the Forbes 400 last year, Dell has gotten $14.5 billion richer even though a large portion of Dell's fortune lies in his private investment firm MSD Capital, which has stakes in hotels and restaurants. Throughout his lifetime, Dell has given away $1.8 billion, or 3% of his total wealth.
Robert F. Smith, $6.7 billion
Robert F. Smith, founder of private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, came in 141st on the list with a $1.5 billion increase in wealth since last year's list. Smith came in with a philanthropy score of two—the billionaire became the first Black billionaire to sign the Giving Pledge, a commitment to giving away the majority of your wealth to philanthropic causes, and committed to pay off student debt for the class of 2019 at Morehouse College. In October 2020, Smith agreed to pay $139 million to the Department of Justice and IRS for a tax evasion scheme.
Bert Beveridge, $4.8 billion
Vodka mogul Bert "Tito's" Beveridge has nearly doubled his wealth over the last four years—in the 2017 list, Beveridge clocked in at $2.5 billion. The Tito's Handmade Vodka founder started the business in 1997 with 19 credit cards, which gave him $90,000, and slept on couches and floors in the process. Beveridge dropped down several slots on the list, going from 154 to 224th place, but gained $200 million since last year.
Thai Lee, $4.1 billion
No stranger to the Forbes 400, CEO of IT provider SHI International Thai Lee has increased her wealth by nearly 25% since last year but dropped by five places, settling at 273rd place. Lee has also been included in Forbes' America's Self-Made Women list, coming in 5th and 6th in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Joseph Liemandt, $3 billion
Investment firm ESW Capital Joseph Liemandt has consistently maintained a net worth of $3 billion since Forbes' 2018 list but dropped 99 places, to 377th place, this year. However, $3 billion is nothing to sneeze at and this isn't his first rodeo—Liemandt was first included on the list in 1996 as the youngest member.
Jim Breyer, $2.9 billion
Founder and CEO of Breyer Capital Jim Breyer was one of the first venture investors in Facebook and it paid off handsomely. Breyer has invested in more than 40 successful businesses, including Marvel Entertainment and Etsy. Though he's worth more now than he was this time last year, an extra $400 million, he dropped 36 slots down to 389th place.
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Popular
Over a year after its first loss, Austin FC was all smiles as it beat LAFC to take home the top MLS West spot Wednesday. (Austin FC/Twitter)
Austin FC, which has flirted with the top spot in the MLS West this season, has now solidly reached the summit just a year after its second-to-last first season finish. The new top dogs are now 7-2-3 overall.
Here's a look at three highlights from the match:
Flashback in LA
For many Austin FC fans and naysayers alike, the match was more than a fight for the MLS West throne: it also served as a symbol of how far the team has come.
The two clubs first met on the Banc of America pitch as Austin FC saw its first game and first loss all at once in a 2-0 battle last April. It was an exciting but shaky start to the club's first season, and the loss seemed to set the tone for the rest of its inaugural year as the club dipped to second to last in the conference.
If Austin's first season was hallmarked by its first match, then its second-year success was foretold by its back-to-back five-goal victories to kick off the season.
Since then, the club has battled its own first-year shadow, claims of "bonus games" and a few unexpected obstacles—both on and off the pitch—but it has almost always come out on top.
That fight to the top was fully realized Wednesday, even as the club played its toughest opponent yet. Even with a man down in the middle due to Daniel Pereira's red card last game, the club kept its cool through even the trickiest moments of the match. Jhojan Valencia, who patched the Pereira hole in midfield, got his first MLS start and first MLS assist as Ruben Gabrielsen scored the first goal of the game.
Gabrielsen's goal
Nice turn and finish.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2022
Ruben Gabrielsen opens the scoring in LA for @AustinFC. pic.twitter.com/OMdTYgqS1x
Gabrielsen came to Austin FC as a potential hero for the team's center back position, but the club's resident Viking has already nabbed two goals in his first season with the team.
"That's center forward material," Austin FC announcer Adrian Healey said as Gabrielsen took control of Valencia's pass, paused to fake out the defense, and calmly tucked the ball into the left corner to complete the first goal of the match.
Feel-good Fagundez
🗣️ @AustinFC is off and running!@DiegolFagundez finds the short corner to make it a 2-0 lead in LA. pic.twitter.com/jgUr2IJQNe
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2022
Even as LAFC dominated possession for much of the match, Austin FC saw another wide-open goal opportunity crumble as midfielder Diego Fagundez's shot hit the corner goalpost in the 23rd minute.
But Fagundez wasn't finished. The midfielder was short on his Verde hair dye but full of surprises as he nimbly sunk a shot over LAFC defense to make it 2-0 with 10 minutes to go.
Fagundez, who has spent more time setting up goals for his teammates (becoming the No. 1 assister in the MLS in the process), finally took the center stage with his second goal this season.
Owen Wolff, head coach Josh Wolff's own son, had a scoring opportunity of his own foiled by the goalpost as he started his first MLS match as one of the youngest starters in the league this season.
But Austin FC wouldn't score again; instead, LAFC powerhouse Carlos Vela made the win a bit trickier in the 86th minute as he got past Austin keeper Brad Stuver to cut the lead in half. The other Wolff quickly subbed in a five-prong defense as the club kept steady for the final 10 painstaking minutes to win the match.
BONUS: Stuver's career-making match
Six saves on the night in LA for Brad Stuver! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/02V6hcUd3Y
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 19, 2022
After two weeks on the bench due to a knee gash, Austin's star keeper Brad Stuver had the Stuver-iest match of all time (yes, we're making it a word) as he pulled off six saves to help his team to No. 1.
Stuver looked like a pinball machine as he pulled off save after save with his feet, hands and body to keep it nearly 100% clean on the back end.
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