Yuri Milner
Photo: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Yuri Milner Net Worth

Tech investor and DST Global founder
BillionaireBusiness
Estimated net worth
$8.7B
Source: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, October 20, 2026. Updated October 21, 2026.

Yuri Milner’s net worth over time

$3.6B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2019 estimate, 2019$3.6B2019$3.8B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2020 estimate, 2020$3.8B2020$4.8B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2021 estimate, 2021$4.8B2021$7.3B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2022 estimate, 2022$7.3B2022$6.8B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2023 estimate, 2023$6.8B2023$5.9B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024 estimate, 2024$5.9B2024$6.9B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2025 estimate, 2025$6.9B2025$8.7B: Forbes World's Billionaires List 2026 estimate, 2026$8.7B2026$8.7B: Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimate, Oct 2026. Forbes real-time estimate$8.7BOct 2026

Only dates with a published estimate are shown. Nothing is filled in between. Tap or hover a bar to see the source.

See the numbers as a table
DateEstimateSource
2019$3.6 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2019
2020$3.8 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2020
2021$4.8 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2021
2022$7.3 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2022
2023$6.8 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2023
2024$5.9 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2024
2025$6.9 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2025
2026$8.7 billionForbes World's Billionaires List 2026
Oct 2026$8.7 billionForbes Real-Time Billionaires · Forbes real-time estimate

Where the money comes from

Tech investments

These are the main sources of wealth named in the reporting we cite. No published source breaks the total into exact amounts, so we do not show percentages.

Yuri Milner’s fortune in real-life terms

132,995 years
for the median full-time U.S. worker to earn this much, spending nothing
40,259×
the net worth of the typical U.S. family
0.9%
of Elon Musk's fortune, the biggest on Net Worth Lookup

Based on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimate above. Median full-time U.S. pay is $65,416 a year ($1,258 a week, BLS, Q2 2026), before taxes. Typical (median) U.S. family net worth is $216,100 (Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances).

How do you compare to Yuri Milner? New

Type your yearly income and see how you stack up. It runs in your browser: nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.

Full comparison + share card →

Yuri Milner has an estimated net worth of $8.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Yuri Milner profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $3.6 billion in 2019.

Yuri Milner is an Israeli entrepreneur, investor, physicist and scientist. He is best known as the founder of DST Global and a co-founder and former chairperson of Mail.Ru Group, later called VK. After studying physics and working in theoretical physics, he moved into finance and then internet investing. His career spans banking, Russian internet companies, and global tech deals. Forbes tracks him in Finance & Investments and says he is self-made.

Milner built his fortune by backing internet companies early and then expanding into large tech investments through DST Global. He helped create NetBridge in 1999, and that business later merged with Port.ru in 2001, putting him in charge of Mail.Ru. In 2005, he launched Digital Sky Technologies, later known as DST. He became widely known for early bets on Facebook and Twitter, then later investments in Spotify, Airbnb, Alibaba, JD.Com, and Xiaomi.

How Yuri Milner built his wealth

Milner started in physics, then shifted into business and finance. After graduating in 1985, he worked at the Lebedev Physical Institute and later earned an MBA at Wharton in 1990. He spent part of the 1990s at the World Bank and also held roles at Alliance-Menatep and Menatep Bank. In 1999, he turned toward the internet business after seeing the potential of online companies and helped launch NetBridge with outside funding and personal investment.

That move set up the next stage of his career. NetBridge developed Russian internet businesses and then merged with Port.ru in 2001, where Milner became CEO of the new Mail.Ru. In 2005, he founded Digital Sky Technologies and became chairperson in 2006. Through DST Global, he backed Facebook and Twitter early, later sold those stakes, and went on to invest in Spotify and Airbnb. Forbes also notes major bets on Alibaba, JD.Com, and Xiaomi.

Forbes net worth timeline

Forbes has shown big swings in Milner's fortune over time. On the World's Billionaires List, Forbes estimated his wealth at $3.6 billion in 2019. That figure later rose to $7.3 billion in 2022. By 2024, Forbes put him at $5.9 billion. Those changes line up with a career built around tech investments, where values can move with markets, company performance, and the timing of sales and new positions.

As of October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker estimates Milner's net worth at $8.7 billion. His wealth is tied to a long run of internet and technology investing through DST Global and related holdings. Alongside business, he also co-founded the Breakthrough Prize and launched Breakthrough Listen in 2015 as a $100 million search for alien life. Those projects show how his money and interests extend beyond venture investing.

Career and money timeline

  1. 1985

    He graduated in physics and worked at the Lebedev Physical Institute.

  2. 1990

    He went to the United States to earn an MBA at Wharton.

  3. 2001

    After a merger, he became CEO of the new Mail.Ru.

  4. 2005

    He founded Digital Sky Technologies, later known as DST.

  5. 2009

    DST bought a 1.96% stake in Facebook for $200 million.

  6. 2010

    Mail.ru Group completed its London Stock Exchange IPO at a $5.6 billion valuation.

  7. 2015

    He launched Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million project.

Yuri Milner net worth FAQ

What is Yuri Milner's net worth?

Yuri Milner's net worth is an estimated $8.7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Yuri Milner profile (October 20, 2026). It is an estimate, not an official figure.

How did Yuri Milner get so rich?

The main sources named in the reporting we cite are: Tech investments.

Is Yuri Milner a billionaire?

Yes. Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimates Yuri Milner is worth $8.7 billion.

How has Yuri Milner's net worth changed?

The earliest published estimate we track is $3.6 billion (2019, Forbes World's Billionaires List 2019). The latest is $8.7 billion (October 20, 2026).

What is Yuri Milner best known for in business?

He is best known for founding DST Global and for early investments in Facebook and Twitter. He also helped build Mail.Ru and later invested in Spotify, Airbnb, Alibaba, JD.Com, and Xiaomi.

Did Yuri Milner work in science before investing?

Yes. He studied physics, graduated in 1985, and worked in theoretical physics before moving into finance and technology investing.