How Much is Tom Perkins Worth? Tom Perkins - Is the Star a Billionaire? Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets
Updated: May 05, 2026
- Subject:
How Much is Tom Perkins Worth? Tom Perkins Net Worth - Is the Star a Billionaire? - Profile Status:
Verified Biography
TABLE OF CONTENTS
As one of the most talked-about figures, Tom Perkins has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What was Tom Perkins's Net Worth?
Steve Jennings / Getty Images
In 1963, Perkins was invited byBill HewlettandDavid Packardto serve as the administrative head of the research department at their company Hewlett-Packard. He soon became the first general manager of HP's computer divisions, and was integral in ushering the company into the minicomputer business. Also in the 1960s, Perkins launched University Laboratories, where he was the co-developer of the first low-cost He-Ne laser. University Laboratories was later merged into Spectra-Physics.
In 1972, Perkins co-founded the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins with Eugene Kleiner. One of the earliest venture capital firms in Silicon Valley – and the first with an office on the famed Sand Hill Road – Kleiner Perkins eventually added Frank J. Caufield and Brook Byers as partners. The firm specializes in investments in incubation and early-stage and growth companies. Since its founding, Kleiner Perkins has backed hundreds of major ventures, including America Online, Amazon, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Google, Netscape, Synack, and Twitter. By 2019, it had raised around $9 billion in 19 venture capital funds and four growth funds. The New York Times has called Kleiner Perkins "perhaps Silicon Valley's most famous venture firm," while the Wall Street Journal has described it as among the "largest and most established" venture capital firms.
Thomas Perkins was born on January 7, 1932 in White Plains, New York. For his higher education, he attended MIT, graduating in 1953 with his BS in electrical engineering and computer science. Perkins went on to obtain his MBA from Harvard University in 1957.
Tom Perkins was a businessman and venture capitalist who had a net worth of $8 billion at the time of his death. Tom Perkins co-founded the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins in 1972. One of the earliest and most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, it has backed such companies as America Online, Amazon, Google, Electronic Arts, and Twitter. Among his other endeavors, Perkins held executive positions at Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, Corning Glass, and Genentech. Tom Perkins died on June 7, 2016 at the age of 84.
Perkins served in numerous executive positions over the decades. He served as a director at such companies as Compaq, Corning Glass, Applied Materials, Genentech, HP, and Philips Electronics, and served as the only chairman of Tandem Computers, which merged with Compaq in 1997. Perkins also sat on the board of directors ofRupert Murdoch'sNews Corporation.
In summary, the total wealth of Tom Perkins reflects strategic moves.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.