Move over, Mark Zuckerberg. Kylie Jenner is set to become the “youngest self-made billionaire ever,” according to Forbes, thanks to her legions of social media followers.
The youngest sister from the Kardashian clan has leveraged her massive following into big bucks, making her “conservatively” worth $900 million, according to the magazine. That makes Jenner three times richer than her sister Kim Kardashian. By next year, at age 21, Jenner will likely be a billionaire.
It’s not rocket science to figure out how it happened. Jenner’s 110 million followers on Instagram — and millions more on Snapchat — give her a major audience to showcase Kylie Cosmetics, her lipstick and makeup line, on a daily basis.
“Social media is an amazing platform,” Jenner told Forbes as part of its cover story for its new “America’s Women Billionaires” issue. “I have such easy access to my fans and my customers.”
Since launching two years ago, Kylie Cosmetics has sold more than $630 million worth of products, according to Forbes. Jenner owns 100 percent of the company, and operates with a lean staff of under 10 people. By “pouting for selfies,” as Forbes put it, Jenner has been able to show off her company and rake in the cash. In 2019, she’ll unseat Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the youngest “self-made” billionaire, who reached the mark at 23.
The “self-made” label has many rolling their eyes on Twitter.
calling kylie jenner a ‘self-made billionaire’ is like claiming you made soup from scratch because you opened a can and reheated it.
— harnidh.eth (@chiaseedpuddin) July 11, 2018
https://twitter.com/DavidDTSS/status/1017065365241782277
https://twitter.com/Franklymydear_/status/1017059996838825984
kylie jenner’s “self-made” empire is almost as funny as donald trump’s “small loan of 1 million dollars”
— james (@phan1om_) July 11, 2018
calling kylie jenner a ‘self-made billionaire’ is like claiming you made soup from scratch because you opened a can and reheated it.
— harnidh.eth (@chiaseedpuddin) July 11, 2018
Even Dictionary.com got in on the action.
“Self-made means having succeeded in life unaided,” tweeted the Dictionary.com account.
Self-made means having succeeded in life unaided.
Used in a sentence: Forbes says that Kylie Jenner is a self-made woman. https://t.co/sr8Ncd7s5A https://t.co/ehEL7Cf6KV
— Dictionary.com (@Dictionarycom) July 11, 2018
Whether Jenner pulled herself up by her own bootstraps, or made a fortune thanks to her Kardashian ties, one thing is clear: She is definitely the breadwinner in the family, with boyfriend Travis Scott worth “only” $8 million.