Hiroshi Mikitani and James Gorman are not known to have any direct personal or business partnership. Mikitani is the Japanese founder and chief executive of Rakuten, one of Japan’s largest internet companies. Gorman is the Australian-born banker who ran Morgan Stanley for fourteen years and now chairs The Walt Disney Company. The only documented link between them is institutional: firms in the Morgan Stanley network have taken part in financing and advisory work for Rakuten. They are searched together because both are globally known business leaders — not because they work together. This article answers the questions people actually ask about them: how old they are, what Mikitani is worth, and what Gorman earned his reputation for.
Key Takeaways
- Hiroshi Mikitani founded Rakuten in 1997 and still runs it as chairman, president and CEO.
- James Gorman ran Morgan Stanley from 2010 to 2023 and became chairman of Disney in January 2025.
- Mikitani is 61 and Gorman is 68 as of November 2026.
- Mikitani’s net worth is estimated at roughly $3.2 billion to $4.4 billion; trackers disagree.
- No reliable public net worth figure exists for Gorman, and no direct partnership between the two men is verified.
- Rakuten grew from one marketplace into a group spanning e-commerce, finance, telecoms and technology.
- The only documented link is institutional, not a personal relationship.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Hiroshi Mikitani | James Gorman |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 11 March 1965, Tokyo, Japan | 14 July 1958, Australia |
| Age (Nov 2026) | 61 | 68 |
| Known for | Founder and CEO, Rakuten | Former CEO, Morgan Stanley; chairman, Disney |
| Net worth | About $3.2–$4.4 billion (estimated) | Not publicly disclosed |
| Current role | Chairman, president and CEO, Rakuten Group | Chairman, The Walt Disney Company |
Why Are Hiroshi Mikitani and James Gorman Searched Together?
Paired searches like this usually happen because two famous people worked together, are related, or appear on the same rich lists. None of the first two applies here: Mikitani and Gorman are not business partners, not co-directors, and not relatives. What they share is scale and visibility — Mikitani built one of Japan’s biggest internet companies and still runs it, and Gorman ran one of the world’s biggest banks for fourteen years before chairing Disney.
That is also why the net worth question dominates searches for both men. For Mikitani, trackers publish estimates that disagree by more than a billion dollars, because his wealth is tied to Rakuten’s share price. For Gorman, no tracker publishes a credible total at all.
Who Is Hiroshi Mikitani?
Hiroshi Mikitani is a Japanese billionaire businessman, born on 11 March 1965 in Tokyo. After studying at Hitotsubashi University and earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, he worked in banking before founding his own company. On 7 February 1997, he founded the e-commerce company MDM, Inc. with three co-founders and $250,000 of their own money, launching the online marketplace Rakuten Ichiba in Japan on 1 May 1997. The company was renamed Rakuten in 1999 and went public on the JASDAQ exchange in 2000.
Rakuten — the name means “optimism” in Japanese — grew from that marketplace into one of Japan’s largest internet services groups, spanning e-commerce, financial services, telecommunications and technology. Mikitani has been president since the founding and chairman since 2001, and Rakuten’s 2026 corporate records still list him as representative director, chairman, president and chief executive. For fiscal 2025, Rakuten reported consolidated revenue of approximately ¥2.5 trillion.
How Rakuten Grew
The growth of Rakuten is the central fact of Mikitani’s career. He has been president since the founding in 1997 and chairman since 2001, and the company’s 2026 corporate records still list him as representative director, chairman, president and chief executive.
Rakuten Ichiba launched on 1 May 1997, the company was renamed Rakuten in 1999, and it went public on JASDAQ in 2000. For fiscal 2025, Rakuten reported consolidated revenue of approximately ¥2.5 trillion — a company-reported total showing how far the business travelled from a $250,000 start-up founded by four people.
Sports and Culture
Beyond Rakuten, Mikitani is known for sports: he partnered with Gerard Piqué in 2017 to co-found the sports investment group Kosmos Holding, became the first global main partner of FC Barcelona, and sponsors the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. He is also chairman of the football club Vissel Kobe and of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Hiroshi Mikitani Net Worth
Hiroshi Mikitani’s net worth is estimated at roughly $3.2 billion to $4.4 billion in 2026, and the size of that range is the honest story: trackers disagree because his wealth moves with Rakuten’s share price. Forbes real-time tracking puts him at about $3.2 billion, while other trackers give about $4.4 billion. His fortune comes from his large stake in Rakuten — a February 2026 disclosure listed him personally with about 8.14% of Rakuten Group shares, with his family’s Crimson Group holding another 10.43%. Every figure is an estimate, not an officially confirmed total.
The range is so wide because a founder whose wealth sits mostly in shares of one listed company sees his estimated net worth rise and fall with that company’s share price, and trackers take snapshots at different times. The February 2026 disclosure shows why: Mikitani personally held about 8.14% of Rakuten Group shares, and his family’s Crimson Group held another 10.43% — a large, concentrated stake, so no single number should be quoted as an officially confirmed total.
Who Is James Gorman?
James Gorman is an Australian-born financial executive, born on 14 July 1958. He built his career in consulting and banking before joining Morgan Stanley, where he became chief executive in January 2010 and chairman in 2012. Over fourteen years in charge, he remade the bank: he built up its wealth-management business into its largest profit engine, steered it through the aftermath of the financial crisis, and left it far larger and more stable than he found it.
Gorman stepped down as Morgan Stanley chief executive on 1 January 2024, moved to executive chairman, and his employment at the bank ended on 31 December 2024. He is now chairman emeritus of Morgan Stanley — and, since January 2025, chairman of The Walt Disney Company, where he also led the search for Disney’s next chief executive.
The Morgan Stanley Transformation
Gorman was chief executive from January 2010 to 31 December 2023, and chairman from 2012. He took charge in the aftermath of the financial crisis and is most associated with building the bank’s wealth-management business into its largest profit engine — a shift that left the institution far larger and more stable than he found it.
He stepped down as chief executive on 1 January 2024 and moved to executive chairman, with his employment at the bank ending on 31 December 2024. He remains chairman emeritus of Morgan Stanley — a title that marks a continuing association with the bank he ran, without an executive role.
The Move to Disney
Since January 2025, Gorman has been chairman of The Walt Disney Company. He also led the search for Disney’s next chief executive — a role that put him at the centre of one of the most watched leadership decisions in entertainment. This article therefore calls him the former Morgan Stanley chief and the current Disney chairman.
James Gorman Net Worth
There is no reliable public estimate of James Gorman’s net worth, and this article does not invent one. His wealth would come mainly from salary, bonuses and stock accumulated over a long banking career, and no tracker publishes a credible total figure for him.
Search results for famous bankers usually carry a net worth number whether or not one is justified. The components can be described in general terms — salary, bonuses and stock from a long banking career — but no tracker publishes a total this article can rely on, and giving a number would mean inventing it.
What Connects Them?
There is no verified direct connection between Hiroshi Mikitani and James Gorman — no partnership, no co-investment, no shared board seat, and no family link. What does exist is a series of institutional relationships between Rakuten and Morgan Stanley-related firms: Morgan Stanley entities have acted as underwriters, dealer managers and advisers on Rakuten bond offerings and tender offers, including while Gorman was running Morgan Stanley. That is a normal relationship between a large company and a large bank, not a personal connection between the two men, and this article does not present it as one.
In plain terms: when Rakuten raises money through bond offerings or buys back its own securities through tender offers, it hires banks to run those transactions, and Morgan Stanley entities have done that work — including while Gorman ran Morgan Stanley. That is the ordinary business of a large bank serving a large corporate client, and the full extent of the documented link. It does not mean the two men worked together personally, and none of that is verified.
How to Verify Claims About Mikitani and Gorman
For Mikitani, the anchors are Rakuten’s own corporate records and the company’s reported revenue of approximately ¥2.5 trillion for fiscal 2025. For his net worth, check which tracker published the figure and when: the Forbes real-time figure of about $3.2 billion and the roughly $4.4 billion figure from other trackers are snapshots from different times. The February 2026 disclosure — about 8.14% personally, with his family’s Crimson Group holding another 10.43% — is the underlying evidence for why the estimates move.
For Gorman, the anchors are the dates: Morgan Stanley chief executive from January 2010 to 31 December 2023, chairman from 2012, employment ended 31 December 2024, and Disney chairman from January 2025. Any claim calling him the current Morgan Stanley chief is out of date, and any precise net worth figure for him should be checked against its source — no reliable public estimate exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Hiroshi Mikitani?
Hiroshi Mikitani is 61 as of November 2026. He was born on 11 March 1965 in Tokyo, Japan.
How old is James Gorman?
James Gorman is 68 as of November 2026. He was born on 14 July 1958 in Australia.
What is Hiroshi Mikitani’s net worth?
His net worth is estimated at roughly $3.2 billion to $4.4 billion in 2026, depending on the tracker. Forbes real-time tracking gives about $3.2 billion; other trackers give about $4.4 billion. The figure is an estimate, not an officially confirmed total.
What is James Gorman’s net worth?
No reliable public estimate exists, so this article does not state a figure.
Is James Gorman still the CEO of Morgan Stanley?
No. James Gorman was chief executive of Morgan Stanley from January 2010 until 31 December 2023. He is now chairman of The Walt Disney Company, a role he took in January 2025.
How long did James Gorman run Morgan Stanley?
He was chief executive for fourteen years, from January 2010 to 31 December 2023, and became chairman in 2012. His employment at the bank ended on 31 December 2024, and he remains chairman emeritus.
When did Hiroshi Mikitani found Rakuten?
He founded the e-commerce company MDM, Inc. on 7 February 1997 with three co-founders and $250,000 of their own money, and launched the online marketplace Rakuten Ichiba in Japan on 1 May 1997. The company was renamed Rakuten in 1999 and went public on the JASDAQ exchange in 2000.
What does the name Rakuten mean?
Rakuten means “optimism” in Japanese.
Are Hiroshi Mikitani and James Gorman business partners?
No verified direct partnership exists between them. The documented link is institutional only: Morgan Stanley-related firms have worked on financing and advisory transactions for Rakuten.
What is Rakuten?
Rakuten is one of Japan’s largest internet services companies, founded by Hiroshi Mikitani in 1997 as an online marketplace, now spanning e-commerce, financial services, telecommunications and technology.
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