Bill Gates: Meet the Ambani Brothers

The Ambani brothers came on my radar screen a couple of years ago when I was in Mumbai for a Wall Street Journal piece on Mukesh Ambani's enormous, seaside oil refinery, which like all things Ambani will be the world's largest. I had actually intended to focus on Ambani's partner in the refinery -- Chevron -- and was hanging out there with Chevron executive Jeet Bindra, the mastermind of the American company's shrewd deal with Ambani. But the story shifted once I met Ambani himself (pictured left), and toured his high-tech laboratory, his refinery, and other facilities. This is a fellow with a vision, the charisma and gravitas to inspire others, the cash to finance his ideas, and the unusual courage to bet it all. Today, Forbes magazine calls the 51-year-old Ambani the fifth-richest man in the world. Bill Gates is No. 3.

I was reminded of this because Ambani and his younger brother, Anil, have been in the news the last couple of days. The New York Times published a long profile of Mukesh Ambani on Sunday. And the press is filled with reports today about Anil Ambani's possible partnership with two of the biggest names in Hollywood -- director Steven Spielberg and producer David Geffen. The 49-year-old Ambani may provide $500 million in funding, and become a half-partner in the future projects of the Americans' company, DreamWorks, the maker of films like Saving Private Ryan and Dreamgirls.

The Ambani brothers have been estranged for years. But remember their names. We will see more of them in corporate America.