Carlos Slim Helú
$90 billion
Scooter Braun’s net worth is estimated at $1 billion, accumulated primarily through the sale of his entertainment holding company Ithaca Holdings to South Korea’s HYBE in a $1.05 billion transaction, early-stage investments in companies including Uber and Spotify, and over a decade of artist management commissions. Born Scott Samuel Braun, he is one of the most influential figures in modern music industry history, having discovered Justin Bieber, signed Ariana Grande, and orchestrated deals that reshaped the entertainment landscape.
Updated March 2026: According to Variety and Reuters, HYBE’s 2021 acquisition of Ithaca Holdings for $1.05 billion was a watershed transaction in global music. Braun received approximately 462,380 HYBE shares valued at $86.2 million at closing, in addition to cash proceeds. He stepped down as CEO of HYBE America in July 2025, transitioning to a board advisory role, while retaining a substantial equity stake in the Korean entertainment giant.
Scott Samuel Braun was born on June 18, 1981, in New York City, to Ervin Braun, a dentist and basketball coach, and Susan Braun, an orthodontist. His grandparents were Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States in 1956. Braun grew up in Cos Cob, Connecticut, and attended Greenwich High School, where he served as class president. He enrolled at Emory University in Atlanta but dropped out before completing his degree.
While at Emory, Braun began promoting parties and events on campus, developing a network and entrepreneurial instinct that would define his career. He moved into artist management while still in his early twenties, positioning himself as a connector between emerging talent and major labels. He is one of four siblings, including an adopted sibling from Mozambique.
Braun’s career-defining moment came in 2008, when he discovered a 13-year-old Justin Bieber through YouTube videos posted by the boy’s mother. He brought Bieber to the attention of Usher and then-Island Def Jam Music Group, securing a recording deal that launched one of the best-selling pop careers of the 21st century. In 2012, Braun signed Ariana Grande, and in 2013 he founded Schoolboy Records.
In June 2019, Braun’s holding company Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Label Group — home to Taylor Swift’s first six studio albums — for approximately $330 million, a transaction reported by the Wall Street Journal and widely covered by Billboard. Swift publicly condemned the sale, stating she had not been given an opportunity to purchase her own masters. In October 2020, Braun sold the master recordings to private equity firm Shamrock Holdings for $405 million, generating an estimated $265 million profit on the original acquisition.
In April 2021, Braun completed the sale of Ithaca Holdings to HYBE for $1.05 billion in cash and stock, according to Reuters. He became CEO of HYBE America, overseeing the U.S. operations of the BTS parent company. In May 2025, Taylor Swift reacquired her original six album masters from Shamrock Holdings for an estimated $360 million, bringing a definitive close to the multi-year dispute. Braun stepped down as HYBE America CEO in July 2025, continuing in a senior advisory and board capacity.
Braun was married to philanthropist and activist Yael Cohen from 2014 until their divorce in 2022. The couple has three children: Jagger Joseph (born 2015), Levi Magnus (born 2016), and Hart Violet (born 2018). As of late 2025, Braun was reported to be in a relationship with actress Sydney Sweeney.
Braun is a vocal advocate for anti-hate causes, operating the Braun Family Foundation, and has served on the board of Make-A-Wish and supported Pencils of Promise. He is a practicing Conservative Jew and has been a prominent advocate for Israel. Politically, he has supported Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris. He declined a reported opportunity to acquire OnlyFans at an $8 billion valuation in November 2025.
Industry sources estimate Scooter Braun’s net worth at approximately $1 billion as of 2026. The majority of that wealth stems from the $1.05 billion sale of Ithaca Holdings to HYBE in 2021, the profitable flip of Taylor Swift’s master recordings (buying Big Machine for ~$330 million and selling the masters for $405 million), and early-stage technology investments in companies including Uber and Spotify.
Braun became one of the music industry’s most powerful figures after discovering Justin Bieber on YouTube in 2008 and managing his rise to global stardom. He subsequently signed Ariana Grande in 2012 and built Ithaca Holdings into a major entertainment conglomerate encompassing artist management (SB Projects), label services (Big Machine Label Group), and film/gaming ventures. The 2021 HYBE acquisition transformed him from a music executive into a billionaire investor.
In June 2019, Braun’s Ithaca Holdings acquired Big Machine Label Group — including the master recordings of Taylor Swift’s first six albums — for approximately $330 million, per Billboard. Swift publicly condemned the deal, saying she had never been given an opportunity to buy her masters. Braun sold the recordings to Shamrock Holdings in October 2020 for $405 million. In May 2025, according to NPR, Swift reacquired her original masters from Shamrock for an estimated $360 million, ending the years-long dispute.