Rank #2989
James Jannard
Net worth $1.2B
Sunglasses · United States
- Born
- Jun 08, 1949
- Age
- 76
- Source
- Sunglasses
- Residence
- San Juan Islands, Washington
- Citizenship
- United States
- Marital status
- Married
- Children
- 4
- Education
- Drop Out, University of Southern California
Net worth over time
Biography
- Jim Jannard founded sunglasses brand Oakley out of his car in 1975.
- He took Oakley public in 1995 and sold it to Luxottica in 2007 for $2.1 billion in cash.
- By then he was working on his next project, Red Digital, building high-resolution cameras used in movies like "Avatar" and "The Hobbit." He agreed to sell the business to Nikon in March 2024.
- He launched Red Hydrogen One, a holographic smartphone that was plagued with issues, in 2018 but shut down the project in 2019.
- The USC pharmacy student dropped out in the 1960s after clashing with professors over bringing his dog to class.
- Jannard named Oakley after his beloved English Setter, Oakley Anne. He has funded a breeder in Washington for decades.