Forbes is currently owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments, which holds a majority stake, alongside co‑owner Highlander Management LLC; the Forbes family retains a minority interest and ongoing leadership influence through Steve Forbes.

Who owns Forbes right now?

  • Majority owner: Integrated Whale Media Investments (often abbreviated IWM), a Hong Kong–based investment group that bought a controlling stake in 2014 in a deal valuing Forbes at around 475 million dollars.
  • Co‑owner: Highlander Management LLC, a private investment firm that holds a significant stake alongside IWM.
  • Forbes family stake: The Forbes family keeps a minority share and remains involved in editorial and brand direction, with Steve Forbes serving as chairman and editor‑in‑chief.

In everyday terms, that means Forbes is no longer a purely family‑owned magazine; it’s a privately held media company controlled by institutional investors, with the founding family still visible at the top of the masthead.

How the ownership got here (quick timeline)

  • 1917: Forbes is founded by B. C. Forbes as a family‑owned business magazine.
  • 2014: Integrated Whale Media acquires a 51% controlling stake, ending full family control but keeping the Forbes name and leadership in place.
  • 2023: A planned acquisition by entrepreneur Austin Russell that would have shifted control again is announced but later terminated, so IWM remains the majority owner.
  • 2025–2026: Analyses still describe the company as privately owned by IWM with Highlander Management LLC as a key co‑owner and the Forbes family as minority shareholders.

This mix of financial investors plus the founding family is typical of big legacy media brands trying to expand globally while keeping their original identity.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.