John Martin
Hillsborough, California
United States
pharmaceuticals, Self Made
$1,100,000,000
1818
#1818 Billionaires 2019
John Martin led biotech firm Gilead Sciences for two decades as CEO through March 2016. He stepped down as chairman in March 2019. His fortune comes from his shares of Gilead; he has sold most of his shares over the years and owns less than a 1% stake. Martin, who has a PhD in organic chemistry, worked at Bristol Myers Squibb and Syntex before joining Gilead in 1990 as chief scientist.Gilead made its mark with several antiviral drugs to treat HIV. It launched a Hepatitis C drug in 2014 that, while pricey, became a blockbuster.Gilead acquired cancer drug firm Kite Pharma for $11.9 billion in October 2017.
Gilead was struggling and had 35 employees when Martin joined the company in 1990; it now has over 9,000 employees and $22 billion in revenues.
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