Colorado Keeps Four on This Year's Forbes 400 Richest List — But Loses One

 

Colorado Keeps Four on This Year's Forbes 400 Richest List — But Loses One

## Philip Anschutz, Charlie Ergen, Mark Stevens and John Malone Make the Cut with a Combined $55.3 Billion in Wealth

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### The Price of Admission Just Went Up — And Colorado Almost Got Shut Out

Let's be real for a second. Making the Forbes 400 is hard. Like, really hard. This year, you needed a staggering **$4.4 billion** just to get your name on the list — that's $600 million more than last year and a brand-new record high. Think about that for a moment. You could be worth $4 billion and still not make the cut. There are **590 American billionaires** who didn't make the list this year, and one of them used to call Colorado home.

But here's the good news for the Centennial State: four of our own still made the cut. Philip Anschutz, Charlie Ergen, Mark Stevens, and John Malone are all representing Colorado on the 2026 Forbes 400, with a combined net worth of **$55.3 billion**. That's more money than the GDP of some small countries.

But we also lost someone. And that loss tells a bigger story about what's happening in America's wealth landscape right now.

So let's break it all down — who's on the list, who's off, and what it all means for the rest of us.

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## The Forbes 400 in 2026: A Record-Breaking Year for America's Ultra-Wealthy

Before we dive into Colorado's billionaires, let's zoom out for a second. The 2026 Forbes 400 is the richest edition in the list's 45-year history. The 400 wealthiest Americans are now worth a combined **$8 trillion** — up from $6.6 trillion last year. That's a $1.4 trillion increase in just twelve months.

What's driving this wealth explosion? Two words: **artificial intelligence**. The AI boom has created a new generation of billionaires almost overnight. Six cofounders of Anthropic made the list this year, each worth $15.5 billion. OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman also joined the ranks. And Nvidia's Jensen Huang? He's been on the list for years, but his fortune has skyrocketed thanks to the AI chip revolution.

Elon Musk, of course, sits at the top for the fifth year in a row with a mind-boggling **$908 billion** net worth — the highest ever recorded on the Forbes 400. He briefly became the world's first trillionaire during SpaceX's June IPO. Let that sink in.

But here's the thing about the Forbes 400: it's not just about who's on it. It's about who's not. And this year, the bar was raised so high that even some people who were billionaires last year found themselves on the outside looking in.

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## Colorado's Richest: Philip Anschutz ($19.3 Billion)

### The Quiet Mogul Who Owns Half of Colorado (It Feels Like It, Anyway)

Philip Anschutz is 86 years old, and he's been building wealth since before most of us were born. He's been on the Forbes 400 a staggering **42 times**. Forty-two. That's not a typo. This man has been rich for so long that he probably remembers when a billion dollars actually meant something.

Anschutz's net worth sits at **$19.3 billion** according to the latest Forbes estimates, ranking him **No. 60 in the United States** and **143rd in the world**. He's seen his fortune nearly double since 2021, when Forbes pegged him at $10.1 billion. That's a 78% increase since 2023 alone.

So how did he do it? The short answer: he did everything. Oil and gas. Railroads. Telecom. Real estate. Entertainment. Anschutz started with oil and gas in the 1960s, then used those profits to buy railroads like the Denver & Rio Grande Western and Southern Pacific. Those railroads came with something incredibly valuable: **land**. And not just any land — prime real estate in city centers across the country.

He leveraged that land into a fiber optic network called Qwest Communications, which he later sold for billions. Today, his Anschutz Entertainment Group owns more than **70 arenas and concert venues worldwide**, including Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. He's the majority owner of the NHL's LA Kings and has a stake in the MLS's LA Galaxy. He cofounded Major League Soccer, for crying out loud.

Closer to home, Anschutz owns the **Broadmoor Hotel** in Colorado Springs and the **Gazette** newspapers in Denver and Colorado Springs. He also owns two five-star resorts — the Broadmoor and Sea Island in Georgia. And if that's not enough, he's planning to build one of the world's biggest wind farms on 320,000 acres in Wyoming.

But here's what makes Anschutz truly fascinating: he's famously private. He rarely gives interviews. He doesn't court publicity. He just quietly buys things and makes money. As he once said, "When you see what can be done, the possibilities, you want to be involved in something. You want to own it". That's the Anschutz philosophy in a nutshell — own everything, talk about nothing.

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## Charlie Ergen ($12.8 Billion): The Wildest Ride in Colorado

### From $18.3 Billion to $1.4 Billion and Back Again

If Philip Anschutz's wealth story is a slow and steady climb, Charlie Ergen's is a rollercoaster that would make even the most seasoned investor reach for the Dramamine.

Ergen, 73, is the cofounder and chairman of **EchoStar**, the satellite television and wireless company behind Dish Network. He started in 1980 selling satellite dishes out of the back of a truck in Colorado. By 2017, Forbes pegged his wealth at **$18.3 billion**. Life was good.

Then came the crash. Ergen decided to build a national cellular network from scratch — a capital-draining endeavor that nearly bankrupted him. By 2024, his net worth had plummeted to **$1.4 billion**, a 92% decline. Federal regulators accused EchoStar of squatting on valuable wireless spectrum. The company was bleeding cash. It looked like the end of the road.

But Ergen, a former professional gambler, wasn't done playing. In late 2025, he struck a deal to sell large chunks of EchoStar's spectrum to AT&T and **SpaceX** — Elon Musk's rocket company. The deal was worth billions in cash and, crucially, **SpaceX stock**. When SpaceX went public in June 2026, that stock became worth a fortune.

Today, Ergen's net worth has recovered to **$12.8 billion**, ranking him No. 101 on the Forbes 400. He's essentially hitched his wagon to Musk's rocket ship, and it's paid off spectacularly. EchoStar's stock price has soared **430%** since the beginning of last year. The company went from near-bankruptcy to becoming one of SpaceX's largest shareholders.

Ergen's story is a reminder that in the world of billionaires, fortunes can evaporate and reappear in the blink of an eye. As he himself put it, "Part of management is to figure out how you're going to do things, and to be creative on how you're going to do things, and to prove the skeptics wrong". He's certainly proven the skeptics wrong this time.

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## Mark Stevens ($11.8 Billion): The Venture Capitalist Who Bet on Nvidia Before It Was Cool

### From Sequoia Capital to the Seattle Seahawks

Mark Stevens is Colorado's third-wealthiest resident, with a net worth of **$11.8 billion**, ranking him **No. 120** on the Forbes 400. But here's the thing about Stevens: most people have never heard of him. He's not a flashy CEO or a celebrity billionaire. He's a venture capitalist — and a very, very good one.

Stevens made his fortune as a partner at **Sequoia Capital**, one of Silicon Valley's most legendary venture firms. He was an early investor in Google, and perhaps most importantly, he made a massive bet on **Nvidia** before the AI boom turned the chipmaker into one of the most valuable companies on Earth. Today, he sits on Nvidia's board of directors and owns **16.8 million shares** of the company.

But Stevens isn't just a tech guy. He's also a sports guy. In September 2026, he was revealed as the **top minority investor** in the new Seattle Seahawks ownership group, behind only the Khosla family, which led the record $9.612 billion purchase of the team. He's also a minority investor in the Golden State Warriors.

Stevens and his wife Mary recently made headlines for a different reason: they donated **$175 million** to establish a new medical school in California. So he's not just making money — he's giving it away too.

At 66 years old, Stevens represents a different kind of billionaire: the quiet investor who lets his returns do the talking. He doesn't need to be in the spotlight. He just needs to be right about the next big thing. And so far, he's been right a lot.

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## John Malone ($11.2 Billion): The Cable Cowboy Who Changed Television Forever

### The Man Who Built the Modern Media Landscape

John Malone is 85 years old, and he's been called the "**Cable Cowboy**" for decades. It's a nickname he earned by building TCI, the cable TV giant that he sold to AT&T for more than **$50 billion** in 1999. But that was just the beginning.

Malone's Liberty Media has owned or invested in some of the biggest names in entertainment: Formula 1, SiriusXM, Live Nation, Warner Bros. Discovery, Charter Communications, and more. He's known for his "penchant for media deals and complicated corporate structures" — a polite way of saying he's a financial genius who knows how to structure deals that make billions.

Malone's net worth is **$11.2 billion**, ranking him **No. 284** on the Forbes 400. He lives in Elizabeth, Colorado, and he's the nation's **second-biggest individual landowner**, with over **two million acres** across seven states.

But 2026 marked a major transition for Malone. After 50 years of dealmaking, he stepped down as chairman of Liberty Media and Liberty Global, transitioning to **chairman emeritus** as of January 1, 2026. It's the end of an era in modern media.

Malone also recently signed a deal with Simon & Schuster to publish his memoir, which should be fascinating given his front-row seat to some of the most consequential media deals of the past half-century. If you want to understand how modern television and telecommunications were built, John Malone's book is going to be required reading.

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## The One Who Got Away: Patricia Stryker Drops Off the List

### The Rising Bar Claims Another Victim

Here's the part of the story that stings a little. Last year, Colorado had **five** residents on the Forbes 400. This year, we have four. The one who dropped off? **Patricia "Pat" Stryker** of Fort Collins, the only Colorado woman on last year's list.

Pat Stryker is the granddaughter of Homer Stryker, who founded the medical device company **Stryker Corporation**. She inherited a stake in the company and turned it into a multibillion-dollar fortune. Last year, Forbes estimated her net worth at **$4.1 billion** — enough to make the cut. But this year, the minimum threshold jumped to **$4.4 billion**, and Stryker's fortune didn't keep pace.

That's the brutal reality of the Forbes 400. It's not just about how much money you have — it's about how much money everyone else has. And in a year when AI created dozens of new billionaires and pushed stock markets to record highs, $4.1 billion just wasn't enough anymore.

Stryker, 70, is a philanthropist and the founder of the **Bohemian Foundation**, which supports music, community, and civic programs in Colorado. She's also a major political donor. Her net worth is estimated at around **$4.1 billion** as of September 2026, according to Forbes. She's still fabulously wealthy by any normal standard — she just didn't make this particular list this particular year.

The lesson here? Wealth is relative. And in America's billionaire class, the bar keeps getting higher.

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## What Colorado's Forbes 400 Presence Tells Us About the State's Economy

So what does it mean that Colorado has four billionaires on the Forbes 400 — and just lost one?

On one hand, it shows that Colorado remains a magnet for wealth. Philip Anschutz could live anywhere in the world, and he chooses Denver. John Malone could live anywhere, and he chooses Elizabeth, Colorado. Mark Stevens has ties to Silicon Valley and Seattle, but he calls Colorado home. Charlie Ergen built his empire from Englewood.

These aren't people who just happen to have a vacation home in Aspen. These are people who have built their lives and their businesses here. Their presence signals that Colorado is a place where big things happen.

On the other hand, the loss of Pat Stryker from the list is a reminder that wealth is not static. The Forbes 400 is a snapshot — and this year's snapshot shows that the AI boom has reshuffled the deck. Traditional fortunes in manufacturing, media, and energy are still significant, but they're not growing as fast as tech fortunes.

Colorado's four billionaires represent a diverse range of industries: energy, entertainment, sports, satellite television, venture capital, cable, and media. That diversity is a strength. It means Colorado's billionaire class isn't dependent on any single sector. But it also means they're vulnerable to shifts in those sectors.

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## The Bigger Picture: America's Wealth Gap Keeps Growing

Let's address the elephant in the room. The Forbes 400 is not just a list of rich people. It's a barometer of American inequality.

The 400 wealthiest Americans are now worth **$8 trillion** — more than the GDP of every country except the United States and China. Meanwhile, **590 American billionaires** didn't even make the list, which means there are almost 1,000 billionaires in America, and the bottom half of them still aren't wealthy enough to crack the top 400.

The minimum net worth to make the list has more than **doubled in a decade**, from $2 billion in 2016 to $4.4 billion in 2026. That's a 120% increase. Over the same period, median household income in the United States has grown by about 30%. The wealthy are getting wealthier at a pace that far outpaces everyone else.

Is that a problem? That's a question for philosophers and policymakers, not for a blog post. But it's worth acknowledging. The Forbes 400 is a celebration of American capitalism and wealth creation. It's also a mirror reflecting a society where the gap between the haves and the have-nots has never been wider.

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## The AI Wealth Boom: How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping the Forbes 400

You can't talk about the 2026 Forbes 400 without talking about AI. The artificial intelligence boom has created more new billionaires than any technology wave since the internet.

Six cofounders of **Anthropic** made the list at $15.5 billion each. **Greg Brockman** of OpenAI joined the ranks. Nvidia's **Jensen Huang** saw his fortune soar as demand for AI chips exploded. And **14 newcomers** to the list made their fortunes in AI-related fields, including Brett Adcock of Figure AI and Daniela and Dario Amodei of Anthropic.

This AI wealth boom is not just changing who's on the list — it's changing the nature of wealth itself. AI companies can scale faster than any businesses in history. They require less capital and fewer employees than traditional manufacturing or media companies. And their valuations can skyrocket in months rather than decades.

For Colorado's billionaires, this creates both opportunities and risks. Mark Stevens is already benefiting from his Nvidia holdings. Charlie Ergen hitched his wagon to SpaceX, which is at the forefront of AI-enabled satellite technology. Philip Anschutz's entertainment and sports holdings could be transformed by AI-driven content creation and fan engagement. John Malone's media empire is already grappling with the AI disruption of traditional television and film.

The AI boom is not a passing fad. It's a fundamental shift in how wealth is created. And the billionaires who adapt will stay on the list. Those who don't may find themselves on the outside looking in — just like Pat Stryker this year.

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## Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

### Q1: How many Colorado residents are on the Forbes 400 in 2026?

Four Colorado residents made the 2026 Forbes 400: Philip Anschutz, Charlie Ergen, Mark Stevens, and John Malone. Their combined net worth is $55.3 billion.

### Q2: Who is the richest person in Colorado?

Philip Anschutz is Colorado's wealthiest resident, with an estimated net worth of $19.3 billion. He ranks No. 60 in the United States and 143rd in the world.

### Q3: Who dropped off the Forbes 400 from Colorado this year?

Patricia "Pat" Stryker of Fort Collins dropped off the list. She was Colorado's only female billionaire on last year's list, with a net worth of $4.1 billion. The minimum threshold for making the list rose to $4.4 billion this year, and her fortune didn't keep pace.

### Q4: What is the minimum net worth needed to make the Forbes 400 in 2026?

You need a net worth of at least **$4.4 billion** to make the 2026 Forbes 400 — up $600 million from last year and a new record high.

### Q5: How much are the 400 richest Americans worth collectively?

The 400 wealthiest Americans are worth a combined **$8 trillion** in 2026, up from $6.6 trillion last year. That's a $1.4 trillion increase in just twelve months.

### Q6: Who is the richest person in America?

Elon Musk tops the Forbes 400 for the fifth consecutive year with a net worth of **$908 billion** — the highest ever recorded on the list.

### Q7: How did Charlie Ergen recover his fortune?

Charlie Ergen's fortune plummeted from $18.3 billion in 2017 to $1.4 billion in 2024 after his failed attempt to build a national cellular network. He recovered by selling EchoStar's wireless spectrum to AT&T and SpaceX, receiving cash and SpaceX stock in return. When SpaceX went public in June 2026, that stock became worth billions.

### Q8: What is Mark Stevens known for?

Mark Stevens is a venture capitalist and former Sequoia Capital partner who made early investments in Google and Nvidia. He sits on Nvidia's board and is the top minority investor in the Seattle Seahawks ownership group.

### Q9: What industries are Colorado's billionaires in?

Colorado's Forbes 400 members represent a diverse range of industries: energy, railroads, telecom, real estate, entertainment (Anschutz); satellite television and wireless (Ergen); venture capital and technology (Stevens); and cable television and media (Malone).

### Q10: Why is the Forbes 400 minimum net worth rising so fast?

The rising minimum is driven primarily by the AI boom, which has created enormous wealth in a short period. Tech stock valuations have soared, pushing up the fortunes of existing billionaires and creating new ones. As the wealthiest Americans get richer, the bar for making the list rises accordingly.

### Q11: Is Pat Stryker still a billionaire?

Yes. Pat Stryker's net worth is estimated at around $4.1 billion as of September 2026. She simply didn't meet the $4.4 billion threshold for the Forbes 400 this year. She remains one of the wealthiest people in Colorado.

### Q12: How does Colorado compare to other states on the Forbes 400?

Colorado's four billionaires place it in the middle of the pack among states. California, New York, Florida, and Texas dominate the list with dozens of billionaires each. But Colorado's concentration of wealth in Denver and Boulder makes it a significant player in the billionaire landscape.

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## Conclusion: A State of Wealth, a Nation of Contrasts

Colorado's four billionaires on the 2026 Forbes 400 — Philip Anschutz, Charlie Ergen, Mark Stevens, and John Malone — represent the best of American wealth creation. They built their fortunes through vision, risk-taking, and relentless execution. They've created jobs, built industries, and left an indelible mark on Colorado and the nation.

But the loss of Pat Stryker from the list is a reminder that wealth is not permanent. It must be grown, adapted, and sometimes reinvented. Charlie Ergen's story — from $18.3 billion to $1.4 billion and back to $12.8 billion — is a testament to the volatility of fortune and the resilience required to stay on top.

The 2026 Forbes 400 is a snapshot of a moment when AI is reshaping the American economy, when tech fortunes are soaring, and when the bar for extreme wealth has never been higher. Colorado's four billionaires are riding that wave. The question is: who will be on the list next year? And who will be watching from the sidelines?

One thing is certain: the Forbes 400 will continue to fascinate us because it tells us something about ourselves — our aspirations, our anxieties, and our endless American fascination with the ultra-wealthy.

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## Disclaimer

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any financial institution. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Net worth figures are based on Forbes estimates as of September 4, 2026, and are subject to change. Readers should consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The author is not responsible for any financial losses incurred as a result of actions taken based on the information provided in this article. All data and figures cited are sourced from publicly available reports and are subject to change.