Austin Russell was described by Forbes as the world’s youngest self-made billionaire at 25 after Luminar went public. But the listing happened in December 2020, and Russell’s later agreement to buy an 82% stake in Forbes never closed. He does not own Forbes on the basis of that failed deal.
How Austin Russell became a billionaire
Russell founded Luminar, a company that developed lidar technology for vehicles. Forbes reported that he owned about one-third of Luminar when it became publicly traded through a SPAC merger on Nasdaq in December 2020. The value of that stake—rather than a Forbes acquisition—was the basis of the billionaire story. Forbes also reported that Russell received a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship award.
Forbes described Russell as “the world’s youngest self-made billionaire” at age 25. The timing needs care: Luminar’s public-market debut was in December 2020, while Forbes’ 2021 coverage supplied the year attached to the ranking. The available profile does not establish the exact date Russell’s wealth first crossed $1 billion. Forbes’ profile also named Volvo, Toyota and Mobileye among Luminar’s automotive customers at that time; that is historical context, not a current customer list. Forbes’ Austin Russell profile.
Did Austin Russell buy Forbes?
No. On May 12, 2023, Russell entered an agreement to acquire an 82% stake in Forbes, according to Axios’ report on the proposed deal. An agreement to buy shares is not the same as a completed acquisition. The transaction did not close, so it did not make Russell Forbes’ owner.
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- 2, TF-Luna is a single-point ranging LiDAR, based on TOF principle. It is built with algorithms adapted to various application environments and adopts multiple adjustable configurations and parameters so as to offer excellent distance measurement performances in complex application fields and scenarios.
- 3, TF-Luna module comes with UART and I2C interface, default communication interface is UART, IIC can be realized by wiring pins, if you need to use I2C interface, please set it yourself. There are 3pcs cables comes with the lidar, 1.25mm-6Pin male to male connector wire, 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to male/female dupont cables, covers the cables for most scenarios, makes it easy and convenient for your connections.
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- 5, What you will get is: 1pc TF-Luna LiDAR Range finder sensor module, 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male to male connector wire, 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to male dupont cable, and 1pc 1.25mm-6Pin male connector to female dupont cable. If you have any question, please contact us by click "WISHIOT" under the shopping cart and click "Ask a question" in the new page
| Stage | What happened | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Announced agreement | In May 2023, Russell agreed to acquire an 82% stake in Forbes, as reported by Axios. | A proposed majority-stake purchase; not proof of ownership. |
| Outcome | In November 2023, Forbes’ CEO said Russell was no longer buying the company, as reported by Axios. | The transaction was called off and did not close. |
On November 21, 2023, Axios reported that Forbes CEO Mike Federle told staff: “The cancelation of this sale does not affect our day-to-day operations or business goals.” He also said the company was “well positioned to continue delivering strong results and enhance the value of our incomparable global brand.” Axios’ report on the deal’s cancellation.
The cited reporting establishes that the deal was canceled, but does not establish who owns Forbes now. It also does not establish that Russell paid for a stake: because the transaction did not close, the proposed purchase price or valuation should not be treated as his personal expenditure.
Rank #2
- [High Accuracy] DTOF FHL-LD19 Kit, based on DTOF LD19, which has a sampling rate of 8000 times/s. In addition, The lidar ranging distance can reach up to 12 meters Based on white objects with 70% reflectivity,so it can collect environmental information at a rather high speed and accuracy, ensure a real-time performance.
- [360 Degree 2D Scanning] The ranging core of DTOF FHL-LD19 rotates clockwise, performs 360 degree 2D omnidirectional lidar range scan on the surrounding environment, and generates an outline map. configurable scan rate from 5~13Hz, Typical 10Hz.
- [Plug and Play] With the 3 feature: Build-in Serial Port and USB Interface, Open Source SDK and Tools and Integration with ROS, Just connecting the DTOF FHL-LD19 and a computer via a micro USB cable, users can use the DTOF FHL-LD19 without any coding job. DTOF technology, which repairs electrical connection errors due to physical wear and prolong the life-span.
- [Widely Application] It can be used for home service/cleaning robot navigation and localization, general robot navigation and localization, smart toy’s localization and obstacle avoidance, environment scanning and 3D re-modeling, General simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), etc.
- [Wiki] You can find more docs by wiki.youyeetoo.com/en/Lidar/LD19.Any technical issues after purchase please contact with our forum by forum.youyeetoo.com/ or click "WayPonDEV" Store and ask a question. Or send message to monica @ youyeetoo.com
What happened to Luminar afterward?
Luminar’s later corporate troubles are relevant context, but they do not provide a current measure of Russell’s personal wealth. SEC filings report that Luminar entered Chapter 11 and that a liquidation plan was confirmed. A separate filing says Luminar completed the sale of its lidar business to MicroVision on February 3, 2026. Those are company events, not a personal balance sheet or a current net-worth estimate. Luminar Technologies’ SEC filings.
Accordingly, the supported account is limited: Forbes called Russell a billionaire at 25 in connection with Luminar’s public-market debut, and his proposed Forbes acquisition failed. The sources cited here do not establish his present net worth or Forbes’ current owner.
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- [High-precision Fused 2D LiDAR] RPLIDAR C1 2D lidar sensor support ranging radius up to 12m, Ranging blind spot as low as 0.05m, Scanning frequency 8~12Hz, Typical: 10Hz (600rpm), 5K sampling frequency, 0.72° angular resolution, IP54 Proof Level, Light intensity resistance: 40,000lux, Ranging Resolution: ±30mm, Pitch Angle: 0°-1.5°, Range Accuracy: 15mm.
- [HD High Definition and Cost-Effective] RPLIDAR C1 lidar scanner integrates the technical advantages accumulated in triangulation and TOF ranging for many years, enabling C1 rangefinder to meet the requirements of robot positioning, mapping, and navigation in terms of ranging accuracy, distance measurement, anti-interference, and anti-adhesion performance.
- [Compact in Size and Easy to Integrate] RPLIDAR C1 lidar sensor not only delivers powerful performance but also features a compact and agile design. It is small and has low levels of noise and vibration, making it easy to integrate into various applications. Its compact size and versatility open up a wide range of possibilities and uses.
- [Comprehensive SDK tutorial and Support ROS] WayPonDEV can provides SDK development packages that can run on different platforms such as x86 Windows, x86 Linux, and arm Linux. RPLIDAR C1 2D LiDAR supports ROS and ROS2 operating systems, assisting customers in development and integration across various operating systems and architectures.
- [Widely Application Scenarios] RPLIDAR C1 Lidar Sensor rangefinder can be applied to Home Robots, Environmental scanning and 3D reconstruction, Commercial Robot, Obstacle detection and avoidance, Autonomous Vehicles in Low-Speed Parks, Parking Lot Space Monitoring and so on.
Rank #4
- TF-Luna Dvelopment kit comes with TTL to USB adapter and Adapter cable, It is more convenient to connect with the MCU Dev board, no longer need to cut and solder the original wire.
- TF-Luna is a single-point ranging LiDAR, based on TOF principle. With unique optical and electrical design, it can achieve stable, accurate and highly sensitive range measurement.
- TF-Luna is Low-cost ranging LiDAR module, with 0.2-8m operating range. TF-Luna has a highly stable, accurate, sensitive range detection.Compatible with Pixhawk and Raspberry Pi for Drone/Robot Obstacle Avoidance.
- TF-Luna LiDAR solutions are widely used in autonomous vehicles (collision avoidance), drones (logistics, agricultural plant protection), ITS, robots (smart home), AGV (logistics and warehouse management).
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Rank #3
- Document: https://en(DOT)benewake(DOT)com/DataDownload/index.aspx?pid=20&lcid=21
- Communication level: LVTTL(3.3V), Communication interface: UART/IIC (the default is UART, you can send comment to set it to IIC ), Default baud rate: 115200
- Low-cost ranging LiDAR module with highly stable, accurate, sensitive range detection. Operating range: 0.2-8m
- Application: Traffic Monitoring, Obstacle detection, Level measurement, Smart device, Security and obstacle avoidance, Drone altitude holding and terrain following
- What you will get: 1 piece TF-Luna LiDAR Module and 3 pieces 1.25mm 6P Cable
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