How Asia’s richest man made Bezos sweat

Gautam Adani had a very good year.

The Indian billionaire briefly surpassed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the second richest person in the world in September. according to Bloomberg. Now he is ranked fourth in the list of the richest people in the world.

Outside of Southeast Asia, Adani’s name has hardly become a household name. That may change now that he is richer than Microsoft founder Bill Gates and legendary investor Warren Buffett.

“The rise you have seen is truly phenomenal and probably unprecedented in the world, as in such a short time one person was able to acquire assets in various industrial sectors and become one of the largest billionaires in the world.” said Hemindra Hazari, an independent research analyst based in Mumbai, India.

Coming from a middle-class family background, Adani began his entrepreneurial journey in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, as a diamond sorter in the late 1970s. Adani is now the chairman of the Adani Group, one of India’s three largest industrial conglomerates.

Representatives for Adani’s company did not respond to several CNBC requests for comment.

Why is Adani’s wealth growing? Watch the video above to learn more about how Adani’s political connections may have contributed to the success of his many companies.