Forbes publishes its ’30 Under 30′ list of young entrepreneurs and changemakers who have been making a difference in the world for the past 13 years. An “astonishing number” of these kids went on to become cultural tastemakers, tech titans, and even billionaires. Some, on the other hand, have gone down in history.
Forbes has now published its first-ever ‘Hall of Shame’ list, which features ten of the “most dubious people ever to make it to its 30 Under 30 list.”
The 10 most controversial people ever to make Forbes 30 under 30 list
1. Sam Bankman-Fried: Formerly known as the “Golden Child of Crypto,” Sam Bankman-Fried was recently convicted of seven counts of fraud and conspiracy related to his cryptocurrency exchange FTX.He now faces a sentence of ten years in prison.
2. Caroline Ellison: Described by Forbes as “another FTX casualty,” Caroline Ellison pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy for transferring billions of dollars from FTX customers to cover losses at Alameda Research, the company’s sister company.
3. Charlie Javice: Forbe’s Hall of Shame also includes the founder and former CEO of Frank, a startup that promised to help college students get financial aid. She was charged with fraud after misrepresenting the size of her company.
4. Nate Paul: Nate Paul, the founder of World Class Capital Group, built a real estate empire worth around $1 billion in 2017. He was charged with eight counts of lying to lenders in 2023 and later indicted on four more counts of fraud and conspiracy.
5. Martin Shkreli: Perhaps the most well-known fraudster on this list is Martin Shkreli, the “pharma bro” who became the “most hated man in America” after his company obtained the manufacturing license for the antiparasitic drug Daraprim and increased its price by 5,455%.
6. Cody Wilson: Cody Wilson, the founder of Defense Distributed, was arrested for paying $500 to have sex with a 16-year-old girl he met online and is now a registered sex offender.
7. James O’Keefe: Project Veritas’ chairman and CEO, James O’Keefe, has been accused of misusing donor funds and spending money on himself, including a private plane flight.
8. Phadria: PrendergastPhadria Prendergast is the disgraced editor-in-chief of ‘Women of the City Magazine,’ where money bought coverage. Eleven former customers also claimed she ran off with roughly $195,000 of their money.
9. Steph Korey: The co-founder and CEO of Away Luggage, has been accused of bullying her coworkers and creating a toxic work environment.
10. Lucas Duplan: In 2014, Lucas Duplan raised $30 million for his mobile payments start-up Clinkle, but he never delivered a viable product.