James Jannard
San Juan Islands, Washington
Drop Out, University of Southern California
United States
9
sunglasses, Self Made
$3,000,000,000
745
#745 Billionaires 2019
#271 Forbes 400 2018
Jim Jannard founded sunglasses empire Oakley out of his car in 1975. His first product was a motorcycle grip that wicked sweat during long rides. It went public in 1995 and sold to Luxottica for $2.1 billion in 2007.By then he was working on his next project, Red Digital, building high-resolution cameras that have shot movies like 'Avatar' and 'The Hobbit.'Now he's built the world's first holographic smartphone, which, he says, has the best mobile camera and will start shipping in October 2018.
The USC pharmacy student dropped out in the 1960s when the dean told him he had to cut his hippie hair and shave his long beard. Jannard named Oakley after his beloved English Setter, Oakley Anne. He has funded a breeder in Washington for three decades.
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