John Tu Net Worth

John Tu has an estimated net worth of $29.3 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, John Tu profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $4.7 billion in 2019.

John Tu is a business executive best known for cofounding Kingston Technology with David Sun in 1987. Kingston makes storage and memory products, and Tu still runs the company. Before Kingston, he studied electrical engineering in Germany and moved to the U.S. in 1971. His first work in America included a one-man gift shop with imported Chinese collectibles and commercial real estate sales. He later moved into computer memory, where he found his biggest business success.

Tu and Sun first built a computer memory business out of a garage in 1982. They sold that company, Camintonn, to AST Research for $6 million in 1986. After the 1987 stock market crash wiped out much of their money, they started Kingston to make surface-mount memory chips and other memory products. Kingston grew quickly, helped by strong demand for computer memory upgrades. Forbes estimated Tu's net worth at $29.3 billion on its real-time tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How John Tu built his fortune

Most of Tu's wealth comes from Kingston Technology, the computer hardware company he built with David Sun. The business started after their earlier memory company was sold and they lost a fortune in the 1987 market crash. Kingston focused on memory products, then expanded into storage and related gear. Tu handled sales and marketing while Sun led technical work. Kingston later became known as a major maker of memory products for manufacturers, businesses, and everyday buyers.

A few deals shaped Kingston's money story. In 1996, Tu and Sun sold an 80 percent stake in Kingston to SoftBank for $1.5 billion, then bought that stake back in 1999 for $450 million. They stayed in charge of the company through the sale. Kingston also drew attention for sharing $100 million from the sale proceeds with about 450 employees. Forbes notes that Tu still runs the company from a cubicle on the sales floor.

Forbes estimate and money milestones

Forbes has tracked big swings in Tu's fortune over time. Its World's Billionaires list estimated his wealth at $4.7 billion in 2019, then $4.2 billion in 2020. The estimate jumped to $9.1 billion in 2021, moved to $5.6 billion in 2022, and rose again to $6.7 billion in 2023. Those changes followed the value of Kingston, a private technology company tied to the market for memory and storage hardware.

The estimate climbed much higher after that. Forbes put Tu at $13.6 billion in 2024, then $14 billion in 2025 and $17.4 billion in 2026 on its annual billionaires list. Forbes' real-time tracker later placed him at $29.3 billion in October 2026. His wealth is tied to Kingston's position in computer hardware, where the company sells memory and storage products and has remained under the control of Tu and Sun for decades.