The hit HBO series Succession might have ended, but real life is stepping up to entertain the world in its wake. Instead of the Roys, we can look to the Soros family.
George Soros named his third-eldest son, Alex Soros, head of the Open Society Foundations, a grant-making network believed to be worth $25 billion. George passed over Jonathan Soros, who was once believed to be the heir apparent. The pair had a falling out, and his loss is Alex’s gain.
For the last couple of years, Alex has been working as president of George’s political action committee. As head of the organization, he worked hard to make sure Democratic candidates had the funding needed to win elections. Alex is 37 years old.
Alex’s appointment was a surprise to many. His 53-year-old half-brother Jonathan was believed to have the upper hand. Jonathan studied law at Harvard, understands the business world, and has a background in finance. George recently hinted that the two might not see eye-to-eye behind the scenes. He told The Wall Street Journal that they "didn't get on."
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George has been married three times, resulting in two divorces. He shares three children with his first wife, Annaliese Witschak. Robert Daniel Soros was born in 1963, Andrea Soros Colombel was born in 1965, and Jonathan in 1970. Annaliese and George divorced in 1983. He married Susan Weber that same year. Alex was born in 1985, and Gregory James Soros in 1988. George is currently married to Tamiko Bolton.
George did not want one of his children to take over initially. He explained to the WSJ this was “a matter of principle. I thought it should be managed by someone who is best suited." He was not a believer in nepotism, but Alex won him over and “earned” his trust.
Alex is honored to continue his father’s legacy and believes himself to be even "more political. As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too,” he mused.
Alex has had a bit of a party boy image in the past. He enjoyed throwing and attending lavish parties in the Hamptons. In 2011, he joined the board of Open Society so he could focus more on philanthropy.
George was born into an upper-middle-class Jewish family in Hungary and survived the Holocaust. He immigrated to the United States in 1956. In 1970, he created his first highly successful hedge fund. In 1979, he created his philanthropic organization and has contributed $32 billion to it since 1984. He is often used as a scapegoat for many antisemitic conspiracy theories.
