Mukesh Ambani vs Anil Ambani: India’s biggest sibling rivalry, ever?

Sep 26 , 2019

Brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani are arch rivals in the business world. Photo: AFP

We chart the twists and turns of what might be Asia’s most epic fraternal fallout – between Reliance Industries bosses Mukesh and Anil Ambani

While there may be just two years between them, Mukesh Ambani’s fortune massively outweighs that of his brother Anil. Older Mukesh, 62, is the richest man in Asia with roughly US$50 billion, according to Forbes’ real-time assessment.

Meanwhile the younger Anil – who was the world’s sixth richest person in 2008, with a reported net worth of US$42 billion – may not even be a billionaire any more, according to recent reports. In March, Forbes assessed 60-year-old Anil’s wealth to be a comparatively sleight US$1.7 billion, but following tumultuous trading, in May Bloomberg reported Anil’s holdings in companies to have plunged to about US$120 million.

The brothers’ complicated, intertwined business ties have led to plenty of feuds over the years, with many in the press labelling Mukesh and Anil’s relationship a “sibling rivalry”. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that there can only be one winner.

Here’s a brief rundown of the brothers’ contentious relationship.

For years, the brothers were close

The definition of a sibling rivalry: Mukesh and Anil Ambani are business rivals. Photo: Hindustan Times via Getty Images

During their younger years, the brothers worked together at Reliance Industries under their father, Dhirubhai Ambani. During this time, it was reported that the brothers displayed remarkable interpersonal chemistry, sometimes even finishing each other’s sentences. It was a widely held belief that the two would eventually both take over Reliance Industries and run the business empire side by side.

The feuding started when their father died