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Founders: #68 Daniel Ludwig: The Invisible Billionaire

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What I learned from reading The Invisible Billionaire: Daniel Ludwig by Jerry Shields. The cameraman was excited and more than a little nervous. In a matter of moments he would enjoy a unique opportunity: the chance to snap the first unposed picture ever taken of the richest man in the world. The strange thing was that most Americans had never even heard of Daniel Keith Ludwig.How could a man in these days of mass media coverage and public obsession with world records, manage to accumulate a $3 billion fortune with hardly anyone becoming aware of it?Obsessed with privacy, he reportedly pays a major public relations firm fat fees to keep his name out of the papers.Daniel Ludwig is a man nobody knows yet his tanker fleet rivals those of the fabulous Greeks whose names are symbols of wealth. His empire began with shipping, grew big with shipbuilding, is branching out now into other fields.With Ludwig, work is almost an obsession. Spartan in personal habits, business gets almost 100% of his attention. Once a project begins Ludwig doesn't rest easy until completion date. Ludwig’s most notable characteristic, besides his imagination and pertinacity, is a lifelong penchant for keeping his

[00:00:00] The cameraman was excited and more than a little nervous. In a matter of moments, he would enjoy a unique opportunity, the chance to snap the first unposed picture ever taken of the richest man in the world. The strange thing was that most Americans had never even heard of Daniel Keith Ludwig. It was hard to figure, how could a man, any man, in these days of mass media coverage and public obsession with world records, manage to accumulate a $3 billion fortune with hardly anyone becoming aware of it? As the old man drew close, the photographer raised his camera and aimed.…

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