Robert D. Ziff Net Worth

Robert D. Ziff has an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Robert D. Ziff profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $4.8 billion in 2019.

Robert D. Ziff is an American investor and one of three brothers who inherited a publishing fortune. Born in 1967, he is the middle son of William Ziff Jr., who built the Ziff Davis magazine empire founded by Robert's grandfather. The company published titles such as PC Magazine and Car and Driver. His brothers Dirk and Daniel are billionaires as well.

Ziff has a strong academic record. He studied electrical and computer engineering at Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude. In 1992 he finished first in his class at Cornell Law School, where he edited the Cornell Law Review. He then clerked for a federal appeals judge in Salt Lake City and later worked as vice president of strategic planning at Ziff Communications Company.

How Robert Ziff made his money

Ziff's wealth started with the sale of the family business. In 1994 his father sold Ziff Davis for $1.4 billion and retired, and the brothers inherited the family fortune. Their father had hoped to hand the company to his sons, but they preferred to invest. They formed Ziff Brothers Investments in New York and put money into stocks, debt, real estate, commodities, private equity and hedge funds.

The brothers grew their inheritance through hedge fund investing in the U.S. and London. They also gave early money to fund manager Daniel Och in exchange for a 10% stake in Och-Ziff Capital Management, which went public in 2007. Ziff Brothers Investments closed in 2014. Since then, the brothers have invested on their own, reportedly alongside former employees of their hedge funds.

A steadily rising Forbes estimate

Forbes put Ziff at $4.8 billion in 2019. His estimate then held at $5 billion for three years, from 2020 through 2022. After that it began to climb, reaching $5.7 billion in 2023 and $6.2 billion in 2024. Because his money is spread across many kinds of investments, his fortune has tended to grow at a steady pace rather than swinging sharply.

The upward trend has continued. Forbes estimated him at $6.8 billion in 2025 and $7.2 billion on its 2026 World's Billionaires List. As of October 20, 2026, its real-time billionaires tracker showed $8.3 billion. Ziff also gives back to his law school. In 2008 he set up the Robert D. Ziff Professorship of Law at Cornell, and in 2017 he endowed a public interest fund there to honor a former professor.