Forbes - 209 - August/September 2026 - Volume 209, Number 4

Aug 26, 2026

Forbes August/September 2026 (Volume 209, Number 4) brings together front-of-book features and department stories across money, investing, technology, and entrepreneurship. Highlights include America’s highest-paid podcasters, the next wave of billion-dollar startups, and profiles ranging from an ex-military drone entrepreneur to a superyacht policy fiasco. The issue also covers wealth advisors, Broadway economics, AI-driven data infrastructure, and innovative business strategies spanning healthcare and education.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages110

Reading Time4 h 37 min

AccessFree to download

Frontliner

Highest-Paid Podcasters

New Billionaire: The Golden GOAT

30 Under 30: Video Game Changers

SportsMoney: The World’s Highest-Paid Golfers

Buy, Hold, Sell

World of Forbes

Conversation

Contrarian

Money & Investing

How to Get Rich on Broadway

Technology/Innovation

Data Dandy

Strategies

Waste Not

Entrepreneurs

The Magic Bus

Special Section

America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors

Fact & Comment

President Trump must sign the bipartisan bill to sell critical arms to Taiwan

Thoughts On Individuality

NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR STARTUPS HIGHEST-PAID PODCASTERS 50 OVER 50: CLASS OF 2026 WALL STREET’S MASTER OF DISASTER THE SEIZED SUPERYACHT FIASCO SOLDIERS WITH FORTUNES Shield AI’s $400 Million Drone King BRANDON TSENG “THAT PROBLEMSOLVING MENTALITY I LEARNED IN THESEAL TEAMS JUST TAKES OVER.” EX-MILITARY ENTREPRENEURS ARE LEVERAGING 21ST-CENTURY TECH TO BUILD BETTER, SMARTER WEAPONS . THIS AI-POWERED REVOLUTION WILL GENERATE VAST RICHES—AND FOREVER CHANGE HOW WE WAGE WAR. PLUS: AMERICA’STOP 250 LIVING VETERANS August/September 2026 Volume 209 | Number 4 4 C O NT E NTS INSIDE 64 | America’s Top Veterans Nike’s Phil Knight and GoDaddy’s Bob Parsons (left) lead an all-star class of former members of the military who have had impressive second acts in the civilian business world. Edited by Alex Knapp F ORBES . C OM A UGUST /SEPTEMBER 202 6 BOB PARSONS BY ETHAN PINES FOR FORBES DESIGNED FOR DISTINCTION 2026 Range Rover Autobiography with optional features . © 2026 Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC 6 C O N T E N T S 80 | America’s Next Billion-Dollar Startups For a dozen years, Forbes has partnered with TrueBridge Capital Partners to highlight companies likely soon to become unicorns. To qualify, startups must be venture-backed, based in the U.S. and currently worth less than $1 billion. Our track record is striking: Of the 275 alumni, 60% did indeed become unicorns. Just six, about 2%, imploded or shut down. Edited by Richard Nieva American Terawatt founder Anton Troynikov August/September 2026 64 Battle Tested Ex-military entrepreneurs like Shield AI’s Brandon Tseng are leveraging 21st-century tech to build smarter weapons. This AIpowered revolution is backed by VC billions—and will forever change how we wage war. By Monica Hunter-Hart 76 The Caring Economy Havi Nguyen grew up managing Medicaid for her family. Now the Abby Care founder is helping others navigate the U.S. health care maze by using her app to become paid caregivers for loved ones. By Richard Nieva 86 The Great Russian Superyacht Fiasco Western governments grabbed some two dozen superyachts to punish Vladimir Putin and his cronies. Great PR move, terrible economics. By Giacomo Tognini 98 Master of Disaster Over three decades, Leonard Tannenbaum amassed a billion-dollar fortune via fees from his private-credit funds. But in his wake he has left a trail of failed businesses, shattered relationships and contentious lawsuits. By John Hyatt 33 | FORBESLIFE How E.J. Lagasse became the world’s youngest two-Michelinstar chef; inside the Maybach Ocean Club. on the cover Photography by Aaron Kotowskifor Forbes F ORBES . C OM A UGUST /SEPTEMBER 202 6 ANTON TROY N IKOV BY CODY P ICKENS FOR FORBES 8 C O N T E N T S FRONTRUNNER 17 | Highest-Paid Podcasters With streaming services entering the marketplace for shows like Jay Shetty’s, the lines between podcaster, TV host and internet creator have never been blurrier—and the paydays never bigger. 20 | New Billionaire: The Golden GOAT Lionel Messi is one of just four athletes to have joined the three-comma club while still active in his sport. 22 | 30 Under 30: Video Game Changers Sharing the joystick with the Forbes 30 Under 30, in 30 words or less. 24 | SportsMoney: The World’s Highest-Paid Golfers Many pros are still reaping the benefits of LIV—even if it may soon die. 26 | Buy, Hold, Sell Catch a meteorite from Mars; drop that Keith Haring print. 28 | World of Forbes Around the globe with our 48 international editions. 30 | Conversation Readers praise David Beckham’s very modern retired-athlete business model but castigate Eric Trump’s bitcoin biz. 60 CONTRARIAN MONEY & INVESTING 41 | How to Get Rich on Broadway Who makes money offa musical? Theater owners and stagehands. Who doesn’t? Starry-eyed investors. “Making your money back is not the only thing you get,’’ says producer Rachel

FAQs

What issue timeframe and numbering does this Forbes installment use?

The cover text specifies August/September 2026 with Volume 209 and Number 4.

Which topics are featured across the issue’s main sections?

The table of contents spans podcasting and creators, money and investing, Broadway economics, data/AI innovation, energy and AI strategy, entrepreneurship, and next-gen wealth advisory.

What criteria does Forbes mention for selecting America’s next billion-dollar startups?

Startups must be venture-backed, based in the U.S., and currently worth less than $1 billion, with Forbes citing its unicorn-alumni track record.

Aug 26, 2026

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