Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani
Ambani in 2007
Mukesh Ambani
Born	Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani 19 4, 1957
Birthplace	Aden, Aden Colony (now Yemen)
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Businessman, industrialist
Title	Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries
Known for	Chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries
Spouse(s)	Nita Ambani
Children	3

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (born 19 April 1957) is an Indian billionaire businessman who serves as the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India's largest public company by market capitalisation. Born in Aden (now Yemen) to Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani and Kokilaben Ambani, he grew up witnessing the transformation of a small trading firm into one of India's most consequential business empires. After studying at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and the Institute of Chemical Technology, Ambani briefly enrolled at Stanford University before dropping out in 1980 to join the family enterprise. He played a central role in expanding Reliance's petrochemicals and refining operations, overseeing the construction of the world's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar. Following his father's death in 2002, ownership of the Reliance group was divided between Mukesh and his younger brother Anil Ambani. In the years since, Mukesh Ambani has diversified Reliance Industries into telecommunications, digital services, retail, media, healthcare, and financial services. He is the richest person in Asia and ranks among the wealthiest individuals globally. In recent years, his conglomerate has made significant investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure and consumer technology, including plans for data centers and AI-powered hardware products.

Early Life

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani was born on 19 April 1957 in Aden, then part of the Aden Colony under British administration (now part of Yemen). He was the eldest son of Dhirubhai Ambani, who would go on to found Reliance Industries, and Kokilaben Ambani. The Ambani family had its roots in the Junagadh district of Gujarat, India. Dhirubhai Ambani had moved to Aden as a young man to work as a clerk and later as a petrol station attendant before returning to India in the late 1950s to start a trading business in Mumbai (then Bombay).

After the family relocated to India, Mukesh Ambani grew up in Mumbai. During his early years, the family lived in modest circumstances while Dhirubhai Ambani built his trading enterprise, initially dealing in spices and textiles. As Reliance Commercial Corporation, and later Reliance Industries, expanded through the 1960s and 1970s, the family's financial situation improved considerably. Mukesh Ambani has been described as having grown up observing his father's business operations closely, gaining exposure to the workings of Indian commerce and industry from a young age.

Mukesh Ambani's younger brother, Anil Ambani, would also go on to play a prominent role in the Reliance group of companies. The two brothers' relationship, and later their public rivalry over control of the family business empire, became one of the most closely followed corporate stories in India's modern economic history.

Education

Mukesh Ambani completed his schooling in Mumbai and went on to attend St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, where he earned a degree in science. He subsequently studied chemical engineering at the Institute of Chemical Technology (formerly the University Department of Chemical Technology, or UDCT) at the University of Mumbai, obtaining a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

After completing his undergraduate education, Ambani enrolled in the Master of Business Administration programme at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business in California, United States. However, he did not complete the programme. In 1980, he dropped out of Stanford to return to India and join Reliance Industries, which was at that time undergoing a significant period of expansion under his father Dhirubhai Ambani's leadership. His decision to leave Stanford marked the beginning of his full-time involvement in the family business, where he would take on increasingly senior operational responsibilities over the following decades.

Career

Early Years at Reliance Industries

Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance Industries in 1981, initially working in the company's textiles and polyester manufacturing operations. At the time, Reliance was primarily known as a textiles and petrochemicals company. Under Dhirubhai Ambani's direction, the firm was expanding aggressively, pursuing backward integration strategies to move from textiles into the manufacture of petrochemical intermediates and, eventually, into petroleum refining and exploration.

Mukesh Ambani took on responsibility for a number of Reliance's major manufacturing projects during the 1980s and 1990s. He was instrumental in the company's expansion into petrochemicals production, helping to oversee the development of new manufacturing plants. His role within the company grew steadily as Reliance transitioned from a trading and textiles firm into a diversified industrial conglomerate.

Jamnagar Refinery

One of Mukesh Ambani's most significant early achievements was directing the construction of the Reliance petroleum refinery at Jamnagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The Jamnagar refinery, which began operations in 1999, became one of the largest petroleum refineries in the world. The project was notable for its scale and speed of execution, and it established Reliance as a major player in the global petroleum refining industry.

The Jamnagar complex was subsequently expanded with a second refinery, making the combined facility the world's largest single-location refinery complex. The refinery's capacity to process a wide range of crude oil grades and produce high-value refined products contributed significantly to Reliance Industries' revenues and profitability, and the project cemented Mukesh Ambani's reputation as an industrialist capable of executing large-scale infrastructure projects.

Succession and Family Division

In the late 1980s, Dhirubhai Ambani suffered a stroke, which limited his active involvement in the running of Reliance Industries. Mukesh Ambani, as the elder son, took on an increasingly prominent role in the management of the company. Following a second stroke, Dhirubhai Ambani died on 6 July 2002 without leaving a will, setting the stage for a public dispute between Mukesh and his younger brother Anil Ambani over control of the family's business interests.

The succession dispute between the two brothers became one of India's most high-profile corporate feuds. The disagreements were eventually mediated by their mother, Kokilaben Ambani. In 2005, the Reliance group was formally divided, with Mukesh Ambani retaining control of Reliance Industries Limited — encompassing the company's oil refining, petrochemicals, and oil and gas exploration businesses — while Anil Ambani received control of newer ventures including Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy (now Reliance Infrastructure), and Reliance Entertainment.

A non-compete agreement was part of the original settlement, restricting each brother from entering sectors controlled by the other. This agreement was later scrapped in 2010, paving the way for Mukesh Ambani to enter the telecommunications sector — a move that would prove transformative for both Reliance Industries and the Indian economy.

Telecommunications and Jio

The launch of Jio, Reliance Industries' telecommunications arm, in September 2016 represented one of the most disruptive entries into any market in recent Indian corporate history. Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited offered 4G mobile data and voice services at prices significantly below those of existing operators, triggering a wave of consolidation in the Indian telecom industry and dramatically expanding internet access across the country.

Ambani had signalled his intentions in the telecommunications space years before Jio's commercial launch. Reliance Industries acquired a pan-India 4G licence and invested heavily in building the network infrastructure required to offer services nationally. The scale of the investment — running into tens of billions of dollars — was unprecedented for an Indian telecom entrant.

Jio's aggressive pricing strategy, which initially included offering free data and voice services during an extended promotional period, reshaped the competitive landscape. Several existing operators were forced to merge or exit the market. Within a few years, Jio amassed hundreds of millions of subscribers, becoming one of the largest mobile operators in the world by subscriber count. The venture attracted significant foreign investment, with companies including Facebook (now Meta Platforms) and Google acquiring minority stakes in Jio Platforms, the digital services subsidiary that houses Jio and related businesses.

Jio Platforms subsequently expanded into a range of digital services, including broadband internet (JioFiber), streaming media (JioCinema), and e-commerce. Under Mukesh Ambani's direction, the company positioned itself as a technology and digital services platform rather than a conventional telecommunications operator.

Artificial Intelligence and Technology Investments

In the mid-2020s, Mukesh Ambani signalled a major push into artificial intelligence infrastructure and consumer technology products. In February 2026, it was reported that Reliance Industries was planning a substantial investment in data center infrastructure, with plans valued at approximately $110 billion aimed at supporting AI workloads in India. The announcement came amid a broader wave of data center investment by Indian conglomerates, as the country positioned itself as a growing hub for AI development and deployment.

Jio Platforms also announced plans to launch affordable AI-powered consumer hardware. In February 2026, the company unveiled Jio Frames, described as budget-friendly smart glasses intended to compete with products such as Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, at a price point under ₹10,000 (approximately US$115). Jio also revealed plans for humanoid robots, positioning the products as competitors to Tesla's Optimus robot programme.

Retail and Other Ventures

Beyond energy and telecommunications, Mukesh Ambani expanded Reliance Industries into organised retail through Reliance Retail, which grew to become one of India's largest retail chains. The company also made acquisitions and investments in media (including the acquisition of the Network18 group of media companies), healthcare, and financial services.

Ambani's involvement in sports has included the ownership of the Mumbai Indians, a franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament. He has also been associated with efforts to promote football (soccer) in India, with reports of backing new football league initiatives.

Corporate Board Roles

In addition to his role at Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani has held positions on the boards of other major institutions. He was appointed as a director of the Bank of America board, reflecting his profile in global business circles.

Personal Life

Mukesh Ambani is married to Nita Ambani, who is herself a prominent public figure in India. Nita Ambani serves as the chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries, and has been involved in education, sports, and healthcare initiatives. The couple have three children. Their children — Akash Ambani, Isha Ambani, and Anant Ambani — have taken on roles within the Reliance group of companies and foundations, with Akash Ambani serving as chairman of Jio Platforms.

The Ambani family resides in Antilia, a 27-storey residential building in Mumbai that has been described as one of the most expensive private residences in the world. The building, which includes multiple floors of gardens, a ballroom, a theatre, and a helipad, attracted considerable media attention when it was completed around 2010.

Mukesh Ambani's brother, Anil Ambani, and sister-in-law, Tina Ambani, remain connected to the broader Ambani family, though the two brothers have operated their business interests independently since the 2005 division of the Reliance group.

Recognition

Mukesh Ambani has consistently appeared on major global rankings of business leaders and wealthy individuals. Forbes has listed him on its annual lists of the world's most powerful people and the world's billionaires. He has been ranked as the richest person in Asia on multiple occasions, a status he has held for sustained periods since the late 2010s.

His business activities, particularly the launch of Jio and the transformation of India's telecommunications market, have received attention in global business media. The rapid expansion of Reliance Retail and the diversification of Reliance Industries into digital services have been subjects of coverage in publications including Forbes, Bloomberg, and The Economist.

Ambani has also attracted criticism and controversy during his career. He has faced scrutiny over allegations of market manipulation, political influence, and cronyism, with critics describing him as a plutocrat. The scale of his personal wealth — and its contrast with widespread poverty in India — has been a recurring subject of public debate, particularly in the context of the construction of Antilia and the lavish celebrations associated with family events.

Legacy

Mukesh Ambani's career has been closely intertwined with the broader trajectory of Indian economic development since the liberalisation reforms of the 1990s. Under his leadership, Reliance Industries evolved from a petrochemicals and refining company into a diversified conglomerate with interests spanning energy, telecommunications, digital services, retail, media, and healthcare.

The launch of Jio in 2016 is considered a pivotal event in India's digital transformation. By offering mobile data at dramatically reduced prices, Jio enabled hundreds of millions of Indians to access the internet for the first time, contributing to what has been described as a democratisation of data access in the country. The resulting expansion of India's digital economy — including the growth of digital payments, e-commerce, and online services — has been partly attributed to the competitive dynamics that Jio's entry created.

The Jamnagar refinery complex remains one of the largest and most complex refining operations in the world, and its construction in the 1990s demonstrated the capacity of Indian private enterprise to execute industrial projects of global scale.

Through the Reliance Foundation, the Ambani family has been involved in philanthropic activities across education, rural development, disaster relief, healthcare, and sports, though assessments of the scale and impact of these activities relative to the family's wealth have varied.

As of the mid-2020s, Ambani's strategic focus on artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, and consumer technology suggested a continued trajectory of expansion and diversification for Reliance Industries, with implications for India's position in the global technology landscape.