5 of the most iconic fashion styles of tech billionaires

The western tech world’s biggest names have not only built revolutionary products, but also embraced signature looks, some unconventional, but unmistakably their own.

Here is a look at five tech leaders whose fashion choices have become inseparable from their identities.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs at the launch event of the first iPhone in 2007. Photo by AP

Jobs, cofounder and former CEO of Apple, became synonymous with his uniform of a black turtleneck and blue jeans. The turtleneck, designed by Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, became a symbol of Apple's innovative spirit. Miyake, who passed away in August 2022, had designed a futuristic jacket for Sony employees in the 1980s, which inspired Jobs’ uniform idea.

According to Walter Isaacson’s biography, Jobs was influenced by Sony’s corporate uniform culture but struggled to introduce a similar concept at Apple, facing employee resistance. Instead, Jobs made the turtleneck his personal uniform, requesting that Miyake make hundreds of them. "I asked Issey to make me some of his black turtlenecks that I liked, and he made me like a hundred of them," Jobs told Isaacson. "That’s what I wear."

After Jobs' passing in 2011, Miyake retired the black turtleneck from production in tribute to his late friend. Clothing brand St. Croix suggested it played a role in the Apple CEO’s iconic look when they reported that sales of the US$175 shirt associated with Jobs increased 100%, according to Forbes magazine.

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. Photo courtesy of Zuckerberg's Instagram

Zuckerberg’s fashion has changed significantly over the years, but his hoodie and flip-flops remain memorable. In the early days of Facebook, Zuckerberg often wore a black hoodie, and one of them sold for $15,875 at an auction in 2022, according to Business Insider.

Zuckerberg explained that his minimalist wardrobe was designed to reduce decision fatigue. "I really want to clear my life to make it so that I have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community," he said at a 2014 Facebook town hall. "I feel like I’m not doing my job if I spend any of my energy on things that are silly or frivolous about my life."

Later Zuckerberg switched to wearing a dark gray Brunello Cucinelli T-shirt as his daily uniform. Over time, his style became more luxurious, with designer clothes and gold chains replacing the once-iconic minimalist wardrobe.

Vogue magazine even recognized Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, as among the best-dressed attendees at a pre-wedding event for Anant Ambani, son of Indian richest man Mukesh Ambani, in March 2024.

Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez. Photo from AFP

Bezos, Amazon’s founder, did not always draw attention for his fashion. Early in his career he wore standard business attire, but his style has evolved in recent years. A South China Morning Post article described his look during an appearance on "The Tonight Show" in December 1999 as a "mismatched baggy jacket-shirt-and-trouser combo."

Over time Bezos adopted a "mob chic" aesthetic, which includes outfits from space cowboy to sleek executive looks. In 2019 French swimwear brand Vilebrequin reissued a pair of $260 octopus-print trunks after fans spotted Bezos wearing them during a vacation with his wife Lauren Sanchez.

The couple were photographed in Venice on June 25, where they celebrated their wedding over the weekend.

Bezos wore a dark suit paired with a cream T-shirt and sunglasses, while Sanchez donned a black one-shoulder, body-hugging gown by designer McQueen, lifestyle magazine Women’s Wear Daily reported.

For his wedding, Bezos wore a classic black-and-white tuxedo, though menswear expert Derek Guy noted he had chosen the wrong type of waistcoat, as reported by Mens Journal magazine. He said the Amazon founder wore a business vest typically designed for suits, instead of a formal waistcoat cut lower for a dinner suit.

"Jeff Bezos appears to be wearing the wrong waistcoat for his wedding," Guy wrote on X. "This is a dinner suit (aka tuxedo) and thus requires a formal waistcoat, which is cut lower on the body. He's wearing a business vest, which is designed for business suits."

Jensen Huang

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo courtesy of Nvidia

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is known for his signature black leather jacket, a staple in his wardrobe for over 20 years. Huang has credited his wife and daughter for his style, and, like other tech billionaires, views his consistent wardrobe choice as a way to eliminate unnecessary decisions.

"You may know me better as ‘the guy in the leather jacket who repeats things three times,’" Huang wrote during a Reddit AMA in 2016.

Huang often wears luxury menswear brand Tom Ford, with some jackets costing more than $10,000, according to fashion experts speaking to Fortune. Though his leather jacket remains a constant, Huang occasionally experiments with more daring designs such as crocodile- and lizard-embossed jackets.

Veronica Zhai, owner of New York-based luxury sustainable fashion brand Zhai, told Fortune that Huang also opts for more understated designs, like those from Dunhill, when in culturally conservative settings.

Bill Gates

Tech billionaire Bill Gates. Photo courtesy of Gates' Instagram

Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, is known for his preference for simple, practical clothing. His staple look is a sweater over a collared shirt, a modest choice that has remained unchanged throughout his career.

Gates has long maintained a frugal approach to his wardrobe, avoiding expensive clothes and jewelry. At a 2014 Politico event, the billionaire philanthropist revealed that he wears a $10 wristwatch, news site CNBC Make It reported.

In a 2016 Reddit AMA Gates explained that he does not like to spend money on clothes. "I think people's spending instincts are set when they are in high school. I don’t like spending a lot of money on clothes or jewelry."

While Gates has always embraced a low-key public persona, he enjoys certain luxuries, such as frequent travel in his private jets and Porsche 911.

"But beyond that extravagance," he told British newspaper The Telegraph in 2010, "how much food can you eat, how many clothes can you wear?"