Romanian programmer turns ‘crazy idea’ into US$6bil fortune

UiPath, which was valued at US$7bil (RM28.77bil) in 2019, is now worth about US$30bil (RM123.33bil) after its shares priced at US$56 (RM230), above a marketed range. That puts Dines (pic) among the world’s 500 richest, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. — UiPath

Daniel Dines struggled with life in the US after leaving his native Romania in 2001 to work for Microsoft Corp, but the experience created the foundation for one of the world’s biggest fortunes.

The software programmer returned to his homeland in 2005 to start the business known today as UiPath Inc, an automation-software maker that made its debut on April 21 after raising US$1.3bil (RM5.34bil) in a US initial public offering. Dines, the company’s chief executive officer, controls a stake worth more than US$6bil (RM24.66bil), according to data compiled by Bloomberg.