Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk Are Oldest Children. First-Borns Often Have 2 Leadership Traits That Help Them Succeed in Business. How did the business leaders' families impact their massive wealth and success?

By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas

Key Takeaways

  • Billionaire business leaders Bezos and Musk both have a younger brother and sister.
  • Being the oldest child can come with "natural" leadership ability, psychologist says.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI | Getty Images

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are two of the richest business leaders in the world, with respective net worths of $202.5 billion and $261 billion. But that's not the only thing they have in common.

The 60-year-old Amazon founder and 53-year-old Tesla CEO happen to be the oldest children in their families.

Related: How Being the Oldest Child Impacts Your Success in Business and Life

Bezos has a younger brother named Mark and a sister named Christina, both of whom were early investors in Amazon; they bought 30,000 shares apiece for $10,000, potentially worth more than $1 billion today.

Musk's younger siblings are businessman Kimbal Musk and filmmaker Tosca Musk.

Did Bezos' and Musk's first-born sibling status help them achieve their impressive leadership, wealth and success? Being an oldest child certainly doesn't guarantee either, but some research suggests that it can prepare people to be strong leaders.

Related: Billionaires Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg Are All Middle Children — Here's How It Impacts Success, According to a Psychologist

Earlier this year, Entrepreneur sat down with Dr. Brittany McGeehan, a licensed psychologist based in Frisco, Texas, who specializes in working with high achievers, to learn more about how birth order influences personal and professional outcomes, including leadership ability.

Although McGeehan acknowledges that conclusions about birth order and success don't apply to everyone, oldest children do tend to be "natural-born leaders," she says.

In fact, two important leadership qualities can help establish first-born siblings as people to look up to. As adults, they're often able to take accountability and handle critical feedback more effectively than their younger brothers or sisters, according to McGeehan.

Related: These Leadership Blunders From Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk Should Be a Warning to All Entrepreneurs

Parents who want their children to find success in business (or in whichever path they pursue) should pay attention to their kids' attributes and interests, McGeehan says.

Providing structure is important, McGeehan notes — but so is finding "the sweet spot" where the child can "lean into their work ethic without sort of cutting themselves off."

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business Solutions

Say Hello to the PDF Multi-Tool You Didn't Know You Needed

Get lifetime access to UPDF for just $47.99—the best price online right now.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Zillow Predicts These 10 Places Will Have the Hottest Housing Markets in 2025

Zillow predicted that the hottest housing market of 2025 will be Buffalo, New York. Here's why.

Business Culture

It's Time to Rewrite Your Company's Values — Here's How

Most companies' values are forgotten or disconnected from daily operations. By rethinking and co-creating values with your team, you can transform them into actionable tools that align behavior, build trust and drive performance.

Business News

These Are the 10 Highest-Paying Jobs That Only Require a 2-Year Degree — With Some Around $100,000 and Higher

People with two-year degrees may see career growth in the healthcare, aviation, and technology industries over the next 10 years, according to a new report.