Top 17 Short CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders

You’ve probably heard that tall men get better jobs, make more money and have more power than short men, right? 

There is some truth to this. After all, heightism is a real, and it’s one of the most subtle forms of prejudice embedded in modern societies.

For example, some studies suggest that the majority of CEOs in America are above average height. And on a practical level, heightist language is woven into our culture with phrases like “look up to” and “stand tall”.

But it would be a mistake to believe that shorter men aren’t capable of building businesses, leading people and amassing ridiculous amounts of wealth.

Here are 18 short CEO’s, entrepreneurs and business leaders who are crazy successful, regardless of their height.

Quick disclaimer: we’re not saying these are all good people. This list is only focused on business and financial success.

Mark Zuckerberg – 5’7″

Chief Executive Officer of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg helped to co-found the worldwide social media network back in 2004.

Arguably one of the most famous short entrepreneurs of our time, the 5’7” American tech mogul and philanthropist has a net worth of $57 billion and is ranked as the fourth wealthiest American by Forbes.

Jeff Bezos – 5’8”

Jeffrey Preston Bezos is the founder, chairman, and CEO of the wildly successful online giant Amazon.

He’s not only a creative technology entrepreneur but also an influential investor and philanthropist. With an estimated net with of over $156 billion, 5’8” Bezos is considered to be the wealthiest person in the world.

Carlos Slim – 5’7″

Several times since 2007, Carlos Slim surpassed Warren Buffett and Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.

Boasting a net worth of $67 billion, the Mexican business mogul made his fortune primarily in the telecom industry.

Slim has also put significant portions of his wealth toward real estate and philanthropic efforts.

Warren Buffett – 5’10”

Warren Buffett is chairman and CEO of Berkshire-Hathaway, an American multinational conglomerate holding company that owns brands such as GEICO, Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom.

He’s also a successful investor and motivational speaker with a personal net worth of $83 billion. Needless to say, 5’10” isn’t exactly short. It’s about average height in the U.S.

But still, with the majority of CEOs and presidents being over six feet tall, we thought it’s important to remember that one of the richest men in the world is just average, in terms of height.

Grant Cardone – 5’9”

Standing 5’9” tall, Grant Cardone started his career as a real estate mogul. He’s now a bestselling author and owner of Cardone Enterprises.

Across the globe, Cardone is known as a top sales and marketing trainer who holds inspirational seminars to help other aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their vision.

Brian Chesky – 5’8”

Most people have heard of Airbnb, which has taken off as a wildly popular alternative to traditional hotels and hostels.

Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb Brian Chesky, 5’8” tall, has reached a net worth of $4 billion in just a few short years.

Jack Dorsey – 5’10”

Jack Dorsey started his professional career as a computer programmer. Like Warren Buffett, he’s about average height. But considering the empire he’s built, he’s earned a place on this list.

In the early 2000s, he helped to co-found the Obvious Corporation, which later became the Twitter that we all know and love. He also worked on the Square, a mobile device used for credit and debit payments.

Travis Kalanick – 5’8″

Since Uber’s beginnings in 2009, the company has become the go-to ride-sharing service in major cities across the globe.

The 5’8” founder and CEO, Travis Kalanick, is also co-founder of peer-to-peer exchange services Scour and Red Swoosh.

In our opinion, Kalanick isn’t doing short guys any favors. His aggressive pursuit of power and wealth, lack of morals and treatment of women make all men look bad.

Travis is why people still use the term Napoleon Complex. Come on, Travis…get it together, man!

Jack Ma – 4’11”

Jack Ma, is the founder and chairman of Alibaba Group Holding Limited, a Chinese multinational conglomerate specializing in e-commerce, retail and AI technology.

Ma is also an investor and a philanthropist with a net worth of $35 billion. Standing at just 4’11”, he’s about the same height as our shortest U.S. president.

Satya Nadella – 5’8″

At 5’8”, Nadella stands at the same height as Oscar-nominated famous short actor Mark Wahlberg.

He’s an American business executive who succeeded Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft in 2014 after playing other key roles within the company since the early 1990s.

Sergey Brin – 5’8”

Standing 5’8” tall, American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur Sergey Brin co-founded Google alongside his partner, Larry Page.

Now he acts as president of Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc. and holds a net worth of $49 billion.

Gary Vaynerchuk – 5’7”

Gary Vaynerchuk is a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, speaker, and bestselling author who stands at just 5’7”.

He started his foray into the world of business when he became involved in his family’s wine business, raising its worth from $3 million to $60 million. He later founded VaynerMedia, a social media agency, alongside his brother.

Bill Gates – 5’9″

Despite being the second wealthiest business magnate in the world after Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates is far from the tallest, which can be surprising considering his towering 6’7” father.

At 5’9”, Bill Gates Jr. founded Microsoft and holds a net worth of $94 billion. Many people look up to the short entrepreneur not just because of his success, but also his extensive charity work through Gates Foundation.

Shantanu Narayen – 5’6″

Indian-American business executive Shantanu Narayen is a tech expert, working for companies such as Apple, Silicon Graphics, and Pictra Inc. over the course of his career.

The 5’6” magnate is currently acting CEO of Adobe Systems and president of the board of the Adobe Foundation.

Steve Chen – 5’6″

American tech mogul Steve Chen is one of the co-founders and previously acted as CTO for YouTube, a video sharing service that’s used by artists worldwide to share their work.

The 5’6″ entrepreneur also helped co-found AVOS Systems, Inc., and the mobile app MixBit.

Arash Ferdowsi – 5’7″

Standing at 5’7″, Iranian-American entrepreneur Arash Ferdowsi has a net worth of $1.3 billion.

He’s the co-founder of Dropbox, launching the widely-used app before he was even out of university. Ferdowsi served as CTO of Dropbox until late 2016 but remains a member of the company’s board of directors.

Dustin Moskovitz – 5’8″

Moskovitz helped to found Facebook back in college alongside Mark Zuckerberg.

Although he hasn’t enjoyed the same claim to fame as his co-founder, he’s still doing alright for himself. Moskovitz went on to found online company Asana and the philanthropic venture known as Good Ventures.

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This list goes to show that height isn’t everything. Whether you want to build a massive real estate empire or create the next big mobile app, you don’t have to let your physical stature determine your fate.

Whatever you do, remember that money and power isn’t everything. Treat people with respect, and remember to be thankful every day.

Who did we miss? Leave a comment below!