In a special episode of Building Fortunes, we at Forbes dive into the wealth behind one of the most recognizable icons on the planet: Santa. Just how did he come to build his infinite wealth?
Santa first received widespread attention in 1823, when Clement C. Moore, an eminent New Yorker wrote a Christmas poem for his nine kids, beginning with the line «‘Twas the Night before Christmas…»
Now, Santa runs a multi-conglomerate off international waters. He employs over 25,000 elves, ranging from private detectives to sleigh traffic controllers. And over time, Santa realized something about himself. He really liked being famous.
In the past 200 years he shamelessly shills for…really anything. One of the biggest deals was his lifetime exclusive with Coca-Cola, but he frequently violates his contract and has even been seen in Pepsi commercials. He earns residuals from his appearances in TV, films, and music and has a team of aggressive elves that sue those who use his image and likeness without permission.
After all these years traveling the globe, exhausted, the now 1,700 year old has finally settled in the North Pole with his wife and a few thousand elves. It’s there that they run their magical reindeer preserve. We estimate that Santa is the richest man in the world, which tends to bring comparisons to the world’s other package-delivering magnate Jeff Bezos.
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How Santa Amassed Infinite Wealth Through His Package-Delivering Empire | Building Fortunes | Forbes