Quick answer: Forbes (real-time card as of 25 August 2026; profile last updated 10 March 2026) estimates Ryan Smith at about $3.3 billion. Celebrity Net Worth (updated 9 July 2026) prints about $3.5 billion. Those are two compiler marks on the same person. This page does not average them into $3.4 billion.
The fortune is Qualtrics first, Utah sports second. Forbes and CNW agree on the named company events: SAP bought Qualtrics for $8 billion in cash in January 2019, three days before a planned IPO; SAP later listed the company; Silver Lake and CPP Investments took it private in 2023 at about $12.5 billion equity value (Reuters, 13 March 2023 — SAP’s stake ~$7.7 billion). Those tickets are deal prices for Qualtrics, not a W-2 that deposited $8 billion or $12.5 billion into Smith’s checking account. Clone pie charts that assign him “$2.1 billion Qualtrics + $1.1 billion Jazz + $300 million other” are not Forbes and not CNW.
For other Forbes-listed software founders on this site, see Mark Zuckerberg’s net worth and Elon Musk’s net worth.
Quick facts
| Item | Named record |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 June 1978, Eugene, Oregon (CNW; Forbes lists age 48) |
| Companies | Co-founder / executive chairman, Qualtrics, with brother Jared and father Scott (Forbes) |
| Forbes real-time NW | About $3.3 billion as of 25 August 2026 |
| Celebrity Net Worth | About $3.5 billion (9 July 2026) |
| SAP / Qualtrics 2019 | $8 billion cash (Forbes, CNW) — company sale, not personal cash equal to $8 billion |
| Silver Lake / CPP 2023 | About $12.5 billion equity value; $18.15/share; SAP stake ~$7.7 billion (Reuters / SAP) |
| Utah Jazz | Majority stake from the Miller family; deal reported at $1.66 billion; NBA approved December 2020 (Forbes, CNW) |
| Hockey | CNW: Smith Entertainment Group moved the former Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City; Utah Mammoth name after a Utah Hockey Club first season |
| Family | Married Ashley Smith; five children (CNW). SEG co-founded with Ashley (CNW) |
What $3.3 billion and $3.5 billion are
| Source | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Forbes real-time, as of 25 Aug 2026 | About $3.3 billion | Forbes’ live billionaire estimate. Not an audit. |
| Celebrity Net Worth, 9 July 2026 | About $3.5 billion | A second compiler. $200 million apart from Forbes that week-range. Do not split the difference. |
| SAP 2019 | $8 billion cash for Qualtrics | Enterprise purchase price. Founders shared the cap table with family, employees, and later investors. |
| Qualtrics 2021 IPO (CNW) | Raised $1.55 billion; CNW says offering valued the company above $15 billion | Company listing math. Paper on a remaining stake, not a second fortune to add to $3.3 billion. |
| Reuters / SAP, Mar 2023 | $12.5 billion take-private; SAP ~$7.7 billion | What Silver Lake/CPP paid for the equity. SAP’s exit is SAP’s. Smith’s remaining slice is inside the Forbes/CNW totals, not extra. |
| Jazz, 2020 | ~$1.66 billion deal value | What the franchise package was priced at. Buying an asset is not “+$1.66 billion net worth.” |
Qualtrics: basement to SAP to Silver Lake
Forbes: cofounded 2002 with brother Jared and father Scott. CNW adds college roommate Stuart Orgill and a Provo basement; bootstrapped about a decade, then Silicon Slopes VC. He left BYU to build the company and later finished a management bachelor’s in 2016 (CNW).
January 2019: SAP paid $8 billion cash days before the IPO (Forbes). He stayed on as executive chairman (Forbes, CNW). 2021 listing, 2023 take-private at $18.15 a share / ~$12.5 billion (Reuters). Closed 28 June 2023 (Qualtrics / SEC 8-K). Do not stack $8 billion + $15 billion + $12.5 billion as if he collected each headline.
Jazz, Mammoth, SEG — purchase prices are not cash piles
Forbes and CNW: 2020 majority Jazz purchase from the Miller family at a reported $1.66 billion, including arena-related assets; NBA Board of Governors approved December 2020. CNW: Dwyane Wade later a minority partner — a name, not a valuation we will invent.
CNW: Smith Entertainment Group with Ashley Smith; 2024 NHL club (ex-Arizona Coyotes) to Salt Lake City; first season as Utah Hockey Club, then Utah Mammoth; Delta Center work for basketball and hockey. Those are ownership facts. Clone “$300 million hockey” lines are not used here.
How we research this page
Forbes real-time $3.3 billion (as of 25 Aug 2026) versus CNW $3.5 billion (9 July 2026); SAP $8 billion and Jazz $1.66 billion as named deal tickets; Reuters for the 2023 $12.5 billion take-private. Process: About Us.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ryan Smith’s net worth in 2026?
Forbes’ real-time card showed about $3.3 billion as of 25 August 2026. Celebrity Net Worth estimated about $3.5 billion as of 9 July 2026. This page prints both and does not average them.
Did he make $8 billion from selling Qualtrics?
No. SAP paid $8 billion in cash for the company in 2019. That is the purchase price of Qualtrics, not Ryan Smith’s personal proceeds. He was a cofounder and later the largest individual shareholder (CNW), not the sole owner of every share.
How much did he pay for the Utah Jazz?
Forbes and Celebrity Net Worth both cite a 2020 majority-stake deal reported at about $1.66 billion, approved by the NBA in December 2020. A franchise price is an asset purchase, not an addition to net worth.
What is the $12.5 billion Silver Lake number?
Reuters and SAP: in March 2023 Silver Lake and CPP Investments agreed to take Qualtrics private at about $12.5 billion equity value ($18.15 a share). SAP’s stake was about $7.7 billion. That is company equity value, not a second Ryan Smith fortune.
Did he graduate from BYU?
Celebrity Net Worth says he left to build Qualtrics and later completed a bachelor’s in management from BYU’s Marriott School in 2016.
Bottom line
Ryan Smith’s 2026 money story on named sources is a Forbes ~$3.3 billion live card (25 Aug 2026) versus CNW ~$3.5 billion (9 July 2026), an SAP $8 billion cash buy of Qualtrics (2019), a Reuters/SAP ~$12.5 billion take-private (2023), and a Jazz package reported at $1.66 billion (2020). Quote each ticket, date the compilers, and leave fake cap-table pie charts off the page.
