Nine of the billionaires made their fortunes selling, inheriting or starting medical device companies:
171. Carl Cook, $10.2 billion, is CEO of medical device manufacturer Cook Group.
282. Reinhold Schmieding, $7.7 billion, started orthopedic surgical tools company Arthrex in 1981 and still owns more than 90 percent of the company.
344. Ronda Stryker, $6.9 billion, is a director of medical equipment company Stryker Corp.
445. John Brown, $5.7 billion, ran Stryker Corp. for 32 years.
636. Jon Stryker, $4.3 billion, inherited a stake in Stryker Corp.
905. Pat Stryker, $3.2 billion, inherited a stake in Stryker Corp.
1647. Amy Wyss, $1.8 billion, worked at her father’s medical equipment firm Synthes for years before it sold to Johnson & Johnson.
1725. James Leininger, MD, $1.7 billion, is the founder of medical device company Kinetic Concepts.
2020. David Paul, $1.4 billion, is the founder and executive chair of spine manufacturer Globus Medical.
