John Paulson
John Paulson is a billionaire American hedge fund manager and the founder of the investment management firm Paulson & Co.
Quick facts
No freely licensed portrait available
- Current role
- Founder and President
- Organization
- Paulson & Co.
- Country
- United States
John Alfred Paulson is a prominent figure in high finance who established Paulson & Co., a New York-based investment management firm, in 1994. He gained significant recognition for his activities during the 2007 financial crisis, earning nearly $4 billion in a single year. This performance shifted his reputation from a relatively unknown money manager to a well-known figure within the global investment community.
His primary investment success in 2007 was achieved by utilizing credit default swaps to bet against the U.S. subprime mortgage lending market. Following this, he earned an additional $4.9 billion in 2010. As of August 2025, his net worth is estimated by Forbes to be approximately $3.8 billion.