David Duffield Net Worth

David Duffield has an estimated net worth of $11.8 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, David Duffield profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $14.1 billion.

David Duffield is an American software entrepreneur known for helping build major business software companies. He started his career at IBM in 1964, then launched several software ventures focused on human resources, payroll, and related systems. In 1987, he cofounded PeopleSoft and led it as CEO and chairman. The company became a major application software business before Oracle bought it in 2005 for $10.7 billion in cash.

After PeopleSoft, Duffield cofounded Workday in 2005 with Aneel Bhusri. The company sells finance, human capital management, and planning software through a cloud model, and it went public in 2012. He later stepped back from day-to-day leadership and left the chairman role in 2021. Duffield also founded Ridgeline in 2017, his sixth enterprise software company, where he continues as chairman. Forbes put his real-time net worth at $11.8 billion in October 2026.

How David Duffield built his fortune

Duffield made his money in business software. Before his biggest wins, he founded Information Associates, Integral Systems, and Business Software Corporation. His best-known early success was PeopleSoft, which he cofounded in 1987 at age 47. He even mortgaged his home to help bootstrap the company in the 1990s. That bet paid off when Oracle bought PeopleSoft in 2005 for $10.7 billion in cash.

He started another major company soon after that deal. In 2005, Duffield and Aneel Bhusri launched Workday, a software company for HR, finance, and planning. Workday went public in 2012, and Duffield stayed involved for years before resigning as chairman in 2021. He then kept building in the same field with Ridgeline, founded in 2017. Forbes places him in technology and ties his wealth to business software.

Forbes net worth updates

Forbes has tracked big swings in Duffield's fortune over time. It estimated his net worth at $11.8 billion in 2019, then $7.5 billion in 2020. The next year, Forbes raised that estimate to $13.5 billion. Those moves happened while Duffield remained closely linked to enterprise software through Workday and, later, Ridgeline. His wealth story has stayed centered on the value created by companies he cofounded after age 40.

The later Forbes figures also moved around. Forbes estimated $14.1 billion in 2024, followed by $13.9 billion in 2025 and $8.7 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. On October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time tracker showed $11.8 billion. Outside of business, Duffield has said most of his fortune is intended for charity through Maddie's Fund and other causes, rather than for his 10 children.