The 5 typical career paths for billionaire nepo babies

Nepo babies aren’t a modern phenomenon. From John Quincy Adams (son of second US president John Adams) to Liza Minnelli (daughter of actor Judy Garland), many children of rich, famous, or influential figures have launched careers based on their relatives’ success.

Now, there’s a new set of scions in town — but not all of them are being given an obvious leg-up by their families.

Take August Chan Zuckerberg. According to her father, Mark Zuckerberg, the 7-year-old recently said she wanted to be like Taylor Swift when she grew up. Unfortunately for August, Zuckerberg shot that down real quick.

“I was like, ‘But you can’t. That’s not available to you,'” he told the “Acquired” podcast.

The Meta CEO — worth about $200 billion, according to Forbes — isn’t a total dream-killer, though. When August amended her statement, he gave his full approval.

“She thought about it, and she’s like, ‘Alright, when I grow up, I want people to want to be like August Chan Zuckerberg,'” he continued. “And I was like, ‘Hell yeah. Hell yeah.'”

While the lesson seems to be “be yourself,” for many billionaires’ children, the sky appears to be the limit regarding future careers.

But many children of the 21st century’s ultrarich still gravitate toward the same types of roles. From CEOs to sports stars to epic side-questers, here are the nepo baby classifications.

The heirs apparent

From left: Alexandre Arnault, Antoine Arnault, Delphine Arnault, and Bernard Arnault.

The term “nepo baby” originally referred to people who succeeded in their parents’ fields and whose success is generally understood to be made possible by their parents’ connections.

Some billionaires essentially run their companies as huge family businesses, positioning themselves and their progeny atop the chain of command — like the Murdoch family, whose sibling drama over the future of Fox and News Corp. is playing out in court.

See also the five children of Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH and once the world’s richest person, who all have senior roles at the massive luxury conglomerate.

Let’s not forget Donald Trump, who claimed he launched his real-estate empire with a “small loan of a million dollars” from his father, Fred Trump, who already had a thriving business and significant industry connections.

When Donald Trump entered politics, he continued the family tradition of appointing his children (and their partners) to campaign and administration roles.

Politics is a well-trodden nepotistic path: the Bushes and the Kennedys have both fielded political dynasties that included stints in the White House.

The crossers

Plenty of billionaires’ kids strike out on their own in different industries — but the money and connections certainly sweeten their ascent.

Bill Gates’ youngest daughter, for instance, is a startup entrepreneur with a fashion company. David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, went on to become a founder himself when he started Skydance Media.

Athletics and entertainment are also prime fields for nepo baby industry-hoppers. Two top-ranked female tennis players, Jessica Pegula (world no. 3) and Emma Navarro (world no. 8), enjoyed the backing of billionaire fathers.

Pricier sports are also popular, like horseback riding. The daughters of Bruce Springsteen, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg are professional show jumpers.

And in the world of race car driving, Lance Stroll, the son of Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, works at Aston Martin (which the elder Stroll owns) and became a Formula 1 driver for the company. Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant and McLaren driver Lando Norris both have wealthy relatives.

Like all elite athletes, these athletes and racing drivers had to put in a lot of hard work to be successful. Still, their parents’ ability to hire world-class coaches and support the transformation of an extracurricular passion into a career can’t have hurt.

There’s one other field that’s become a magnet for nepo babies with something new to say: journalism. Jack Schlossberg, a Kennedy grandson who’s captured Gen Z’s hearts, is an influencer-activist-journalist who recently became Vogue’s political correspondent.

Ronan Farrow, the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, rocketed to fame by reporting on sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker.

The coasters

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham at the Academy Museum Gala in December 2023.

Meanwhile, some seem to be famous just for their last name. These are the “coasters,” the types of people who are happy with just being seen and hanging out.

Paris Hilton was the prototype in the early aughts. She had forays into acting, singing, DJing, and modeling, but for the most part, she was known for being the rich Hilton hotel chain heiress.

The next iteration is the influencer. Take Olivia Jade Giannulli, the daughter of “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin. As a high schooler, she had a sizable social media following, but that exploded after her parents admitted to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure her place at the University of Southern California. Now, she’s got a comfortable influencing career with 1.2 million followers on Instagram, promoting products with partners including Zen Water and Evry Jewels jewelry.

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham also fall into this category. The son of David and Victoria Beckham has tried his hand at photography and cooking, while the daughter of billionaire Nelson Peltz has turned her attention to acting and filmmaking. But some of their projects have been met with criticism — or even outright derision.

The activists

Some nepo babies use their inherited millions to address social issues they’re passionate about. In some cases, they’re even anti-nepo warriors.

Abigail Disney is a prime example. The granddaughter of a Disney company cofounder, she’s been outspoken about geopolitical issues.

Disney has publicly called for higher taxes on the ultrawealthy and criticized how people build generational wealth and take advantage of tax loopholes. She’s also criticized the Disney company for its employment practices.

Though there aren’t many nepo-babies-turned-activists of Disney’s caliber, a few Gen Zers seem poised to take up the mantle. One is Elon Musk’s daughter, Vivian Wilson, who has actively spoken out against her father’s anti-trans views and his war on wokeness in recent months.

The normies

Lastly, there are some nepo babies who have chosen professions in fields where their connections won’t help them quite as much.

To be sure, family connections can help people get into good schools. And it certainly works in the nepo baby’s favor that they probably won’t have to take out tens of thousands of dollars in loans to pay for their education, thanks to the Bank of Mom & Dad.

One example is Bill Gates’ eldest daughter Jennifer Gates Nassar, who left her equestrian career behind to pursue a medical degree from Mount Sinai and is now a pediatric resident.

Charles Shaffer, the son of longtime Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, is also a physician. He received his medical degree from Columbia University in 2016 and specializes in psychiatry.