The American magazine published 10 names it regretted that made the list “30 under 30”
First on the list is Sam Bankman Fried, who ended up being found guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy. [REUTERS]
After becoming a popular joke in the internet “wells”, the “curse” of Forbes' annual list of the 30 most successful people under 30 (“30 under 30”) has officially reached Forbes itself. This week the American magazine published 10 names – out of 10,000 it says it would actually like – that it has regretted making its '30 under 30' list.
“Many of those who made the list went on to become tech titans, CEOs or even billionaires. Some turned out to be useless or even worse,” the magazine says. Hence X users joked that those who enter the “30 under 30” should be checked by the US authorities first.
First on the list is Silicon Valley's latest and possibly biggest disappointment. The reason for Sam Bankman Fried, who from the 2021 list and with a fortune of more than $26 billion ended up being found guilty of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy, with sentences of 110 years in prison. He is joined by Bankman Fried's co-worker and sometime partner Carolyn Ellison, who was even more recently, in 2022, 30 under 30. Although she is expected to get a lighter sentence for cooperating with authorities, Ellison also faces prison terms up to 110 years. Forbes' “Hall of Shame” could not miss Charlie Javis (“30 under 30” of 2019), the young woman who managed to deceive JPMorgan, as she convinced it to give 175 million dollars for the acquisition of the fintech of her company, greatly “inflating” the figures for the number of her customers.
Forbes also “regrets” the inclusion of Nate Paul, who built a $1 billion real estate business empire, on the 2016 list. This year he was charged with misleading creditors, as well as fraud and conspiracy.
From the 2013 list, Martin Shkreli, who became known as the “Pharma Bro”, has also passed. In 2015 he made headlines when he took over as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals and raised the price of the drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750. He was later sentenced to 7 years in prison after being convicted of defrauding investors in two hedge funds.
Also on the list of “shame” is Cody Wilson, who as a law student became famous by posting plans online so that someone could “print” a working gun with 3D printing. In 2019, he was found guilty of sexual harassment after he paid $500 through a website to meet a 16-year-old girl. Forbes also regrets the 2012 list James O'Keefe, founder of the conservative organization Project Veritas, who was accused of embezzling donations for private purposes, such as private jet flights.
From on the 2023 list is Phadria Prendergast, editor-in-chief of Women of the City Magazine. Ironically, it was a Forbes investigation that revealed she was asking clients for money to secure publicity.
Steph Corey, co-founder of luggage company Away, was on the 2018 '30 under 30' list before it was leaked that she ran a highly toxic work environment.
In the “Hall of Shame” is Lucas Duplan, founder of the fintech company Clinkle, which “raised” 30 million dollars in the first (seed) round of financing from big names investment world. Then all was lost as his long-awaited plan for electronic payments never materialized into a proper product, employees quit and investors demanded their money back.
