Rockefeller: The World’s First Billionaire

THE STORY OF JOHN D ROCKEFELLER - The business magnate and richest man in the world (and the world’s first billionaire). There was a time when anyone would tremble upon hearing the name John D. Rockefeller. Not only was he the world’s first billionaire, he’s one of the richest people in history. His empire - Standard Oil - became the most dominant monopoly in the world by brutally crushing competitors, taking control of multiple industries, bribing the government into submission, and treating business as if it was war. Because of his ruthless business practices and secretive deals, Rockefeller made many enemies. His career is filled with bitter rivalries like with Andrew Carnegie, and even ferocious battles against US Presidents. But, before he was the titan of the oil industry, Rockefeller was at the very bottom of society. His story is one of only a handful of cases where someone manages to rise from the depths of poverty, to the absolute peak of wealth and power. Rockefeller’s story is at times inspiring, and at times… chilling. It’s an example of what happens when greed and ambition go completely unchecked. This Rockefeller documentary shows the insane true story of John D Rockefeller, the history of Standard Oil and one of the craziest rags to riches stories. At times it’s an inspiring business story with lessons for entrepreneurs, at other times it’s a dark business story showing the worst of corporate greed. And after crushing his competition, through a series of strategic investments Rockefeller became the richest person in the world (even surpassing Andrew Carnegie). Adjusting for inflation, he is one of the richest self made men in history. And when his business empire got split up and he got given shares in other companies, he became even richer as their stock price soared on the stock market. But before all that wealth, let me take you back to 1839, where a young John D. Rockefeller is born into poverty…