Forbes Unveils 15th Annual 30 Under 30 List – The Class Of 2026 Features Up-And-Coming Visionaries Shaping Tomorrow

Coco Gauff, Mikey Madison, Doechii, Benson Boone, Marissa Bode, Alex Warren, Josh Allen and More Among List of Notable Honorees Featured in the Under 30 Class of 2026

NEW YORK – December 2, 2025 – Forbes today unveiled its 15th annual 30 Under 30 List for the Class of 2026, recognizing 600 leaders from North America, within 20 different industries who are leading transformative change within business, culture, and entrepreneurship.

“For this year’s 15th anniversary list, we are seeing Gen Z take on more leadership roles and rethink the ways we create impact through art, healthcare, education and more,” said Alexandra York, associate editor at Forbes. “AI is booming and becoming integrated into every aspect of our lives and our businesses, and this year’s list makers are harnessing these technical skills under their belt to create new paths to success.”

Altogether, Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2026 has raised $3.8 billion in funding and have amassed a 200M+ following on social media, showcasing how big their impact reaches. This year’s list features the largest cohort of Gen Z honorees ever, with 70% of the cohort being Gen Z, jumping up from 50% last year.

The Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2026 highlights honorees across 20 different industries including: Art & Style, Media, Hollywood & Entertainment, Education, Science, Healthcare, Sports, Music, Finance, Food & Drink, Social Impact, Manufacturing & Industry, Venture Capital, Marketing & Advertising, Retail & Ecommerce, Games, and Social Media.

Notable honorees on this year’s list include:

• Tennis mogul Coco Gauff, who was just 15 when she stunned the tennis world by knocking Venus Williams out of Wimbledon in 2019. Six years later, she has two Grand Slam singles titles to her name, including the French Open, and ranks 11th on the WTA Tour’s career prize money list with nearly $30 million. According to Forbes, Gauff is also the world’s highest-paid female athlete, thanks to the estimated $25 million she earns off the court annually.
• NFL Philadelphia Eagles’ players Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, who led their team to the 2025 Super Bowl as the underdogs, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, denying them a three-peat and secured the Eagles’ second-ever Super Bowl win.
• Singer-songwriter Alex Warren, whose break-out hit “Ordinary” became the Billboard Global Song of the Summer for 2025 and surpassed 2 billion global streams, which earned Warren an estimated $10 million in royalties—and scored him a 2026 Grammy nomination.
• Actress Mikey Madison who earned her first-ever Oscar award in 2025, winning the Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film Anora. Madison was also the first actor from Gen Z to win an acting Oscar.
• Rapper and singer, Doechii, who was awarded her first Grammy for Best Rap Album this year, after the success of her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal. The historic win made Doechii the third woman ever to win the award since the category was introduced in 1989.
• Jesse Zhang, cofounder of AI unicorn Decagon, who is changing the industry of customer service with AI agents that can manage common customer service tasks like product returns, cancellations and credit card replacements. The company currently boasts a $1.5 billion valuation and has raised $55 million from notable backers like Andreessen Horowitz, and secured deals with Duolingo, Hertz and ClassPass.

To develop the list, Forbes convened an independent panel of expert judges, including musician Olivia Rodrigo; Yara Shahidi, actor and producer; Amy Liu, founder at Tower 28; May Habib, founder at Writer; Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi; Palmer Luckey, founder, Anduril Industries; Olivia Moore, partner at Andreessen Horowitz; Asad Ayaz, chief brand officer at Disney; content creators Drew Afualo and Monet McMichael; fashion designer Simone Rocha; Lynette Nylander, executive digital director of Harper’s Bazaar; Annie Lamont, partner at Oak HC/FT; Danielle Guizio, founder of Danielle Guizio, among others.

Additional stories running as a part of the package include:

Over the past fifteen years, Forbes 30 Under 30’s iconic lists have spotlighted over 12,000 young leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. The Forbes 30 Under 30 list has paved a path for success for several recognized honorees who have gone on to secure significant funding for their companies, become C-suite level executives, record breaking musical artists, and hundreds will become billionaires (while dozens already are). Forbes lists capture some of the most prominent people and companies that have profound impact at the time of publication, while also spotlighting up-and-coming visionaries who are set to become tomorrow’s leaders.

The Forbes 30 Under 30 list also has a worldwide impact with more than 30 global licensees publishing their own local 30 Under 30 lists including Forbes Middle East, Forbes Central America and Forbes Africa.

As part of this year’s list, Forbes will host its 30 Under 30 List Launch Celebration in New York City, sponsored by Meta, in celebration of the honorees on the 2026 30 Under 30 list.

For the full list of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class of 2026, visit: Forbes 30 Under 30 Class of 2026.

To join the conversation on social, follow #ForbesUnder30.

About Forbes

Forbes is an iconic global media brand that has symbolized success for over a century. Fueled by journalism that informs and inspires, Forbes spotlights the doers and doings shaping industries, achieving success and making an impact on the world. Forbes connects and convenes the most influential communities ranging from billionaires, business leaders and rising entrepreneurs to creators and innovators. The Forbes brand reaches more than 140 million people monthly worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature ForbesLive events and 49 licensed local editions in 81 countries.

Media contacts:

Elise Flick, [email protected]

Feryal Nawaz, [email protected]