If you searched “Josh Kushner Wikipedia,” you likely just heard the huge news that he and former Disney CEO Bob Iger have agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers. This article lays out what is actually confirmed about his career at Thrive Capital, his family, and this record-setting deal, plus what still is not public information about his personal life. Everything here is checked against reporting from named outlets, not guessed from random bio sites.
Background: Who Is Josh Kushner and Why Is He Trending?
Josh Kushner is an American venture capitalist and the founder of Thrive Capital, a New York investment firm he started in 2009 that has backed companies like Instagram, Spotify, Stripe, and OpenAI. He is also the co-founder and vice-chairman of Oscar Health, a health insurance company, and a minority owner of the Miami Heat. Outside of business, he is married to model Karlie Kloss and is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who served as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump.
People are searching his name right now for one specific reason: on August 12, 2026, multiple outlets including ESPN, NBC News, and ABC News reported that Kushner and Bob Iger had reached a deal to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for approximately $12.5 billion. That price tag makes it the most expensive sports franchise sale ever recorded, and it comes barely fourteen months after Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought the team for around $10 billion. Since Kushner rarely gives interviews, this sudden headline has sent a lot of people looking for basic background on who he actually is.
📌 Quick context: Josh Kushner has largely built his career away from politics, focusing on technology investing and health insurance rather than the political work his brother Jared is known for.
Latest Update
As of August 13, 2026, here is what’s currently known. Kushner and Iger confirmed the Lakers purchase in a joint statement, calling it an honor to become “stewards” of the franchise and pledging respect for the team’s history under the Buss family. The sale still needs approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors before it becomes final, so it is not yet a fully closed deal, even though multiple major outlets have confirmed the agreement itself. Lakers star Luka Dončić posted publicly that he is looking forward to meeting the new ownership group.
This deal follows a separate milestone from earlier in 2026: in February, Thrive Capital closed a new fund worth more than $10 billion, its largest ever, with plans to invest across artificial intelligence, space, and robotics. No other major personal news, such as a health issue or legal matter, has been verified about Kushner as of this date. Some details about his exact net worth still vary between sources, and those gaps are flagged below.
⚠️ Heads up: The Lakers sale has been confirmed by Kushner and Iger themselves in a joint statement, but it still requires NBA Board of Governors approval before ownership officially changes hands. Treat it as agreed upon, not yet fully closed.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Josh Kushner was born in Livingston, New Jersey, and grew up in a Jewish family as the youngest son of real estate developer Charles Kushner. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Kushner, was a Holocaust survivor from Poland who built the family’s real estate business after settling in the United States. Josh is the younger brother of Jared Kushner and has other siblings within the extended Kushner family.
Career Path
Kushner started his career at Goldman Sachs after finishing his undergraduate degree, and within about a year he had already launched his own venture capital firm, Thrive Capital, in 2009. While still a student, he had also co-founded Vostu, a social gaming company aimed at the Latin American market. Thrive grew from a small starting fund into one of the most prominent technology-focused venture firms in the country, with early bets on Instagram, Twitch, Warby Parker, and Spotify that paid off through major acquisitions and public offerings.
In 2012, Kushner co-founded Oscar Health, a health insurance company built around the Affordable Care Act marketplace, where he still serves as vice-chairman. Thrive’s more recent investments include large stakes in OpenAI and Stripe, and the firm closed a $10 billion fund in February 2026, its biggest yet. In August 2026, Kushner’s profile expanded dramatically into professional sports when he and Bob Iger agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion, a deal that still needs NBA approval.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Graduated from Harvard College with a degree in government |
| 2009 | Founded Thrive Capital with an initial $5 million |
| 2011 | Earned an MBA from Harvard Business School |
| 2012 | Co-founded Oscar Health |
| 2018 | Married model Karlie Kloss |
| 2024 | Named to Fortune’s inaugural 100 Most Powerful People in Business list |
| February 2026 | Thrive Capital closed a $10 billion fund, its largest ever |
| August 12, 2026 | Agreed with Bob Iger to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion |
Age
Josh Kushner was born on June 12, 1985, which makes him 41 years old as of August 2026.
Religion
Kushner was raised in a Jewish family in Livingston, New Jersey, and multiple reports describe him as continuing to identify with that background as an adult. Beyond that general context, no additional detail about his current religious practice is confirmed.
Spouse/Partner
Josh Kushner married supermodel Karlie Kloss in 2018. The couple have three children together: sons Levi Joseph, born in March 2021, and Elijah Jude, born in July 2023, and a daughter, Rae Florence, born in September 2025.
Net Worth
Forbes estimated Josh Kushner’s net worth at approximately $5.2 billion as of late 2025 and into 2026, driven largely by his stake in Thrive Capital. A few other sites cite lower figures closer to $3.6 billion, showing how much private company valuations can shift these estimates, so treat any exact figure as an approximation.
Parents
Josh Kushner’s parents are Charles Kushner, a real estate developer and founder of Kushner Companies, and Seryl Kushner. Charles Kushner later served as United States Ambassador to France starting in 2025.
Height
This is unconfirmed. No reliable, sourced figure for Josh Kushner’s height could be verified, so no number is reported here.
Education
Kushner earned a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard College in 2008. He returned to Harvard for business school and completed his MBA at Harvard Business School in 2011.
Hometown/State of Origin
Josh Kushner was born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey, where his family’s real estate business, Kushner Companies, was also based.
Official Social Media
You can follow Josh Kushner’s public statements and business updates on X (formerly Twitter) at x.com/JoshuaKushner.
🗓️ Key date to remember: August 12, 2026 — the date Josh Kushner and Bob Iger confirmed their agreement to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion.
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Does Josh Kushner have an official Wikipedia page?
Yes, Josh Kushner has a Wikipedia entry that lists his basic biographical details, career, and family background. This article expands on that with more recent, verified updates, including the Lakers purchase agreement.
Is Josh Kushner buying the Lakers?
Yes, as of August 12, 2026, Kushner and Bob Iger confirmed in a joint statement that they had agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for about $12.5 billion. The deal still needs approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors before it is final.
How old is Josh Kushner?
Josh Kushner was born on June 12, 1985, making him 41 years old as of August 2026.
Is Josh Kushner related to Jared Kushner?
Yes, Josh Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who served as a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump. The two brothers have largely built separate careers, with Josh focused on venture capital and technology.
Who is Josh Kushner married to?
Josh Kushner has been married to model Karlie Kloss since 2018. They have three children together.
What is Josh Kushner’s net worth?
Forbes estimated Josh Kushner’s net worth at approximately $5.2 billion as of late 2025 and into 2026. Because much of his wealth is tied to private company valuations, that figure can shift over time.
What company did Josh Kushner found?
Josh Kushner founded Thrive Capital in 2009, a venture capital firm that has invested in companies including Instagram, Stripe, Spotify, and OpenAI. He is also a co-founder and vice-chairman of the health insurance company Oscar Health.
Wrap-Up
Josh Kushner’s career has a clear, well-documented arc: from a Goldman Sachs analyst job straight out of Harvard to building Thrive Capital into a firm managing tens of billions of dollars, with early stakes in some of the biggest tech names of the past decade. The Lakers deal announced this week fits that same pattern of moving early and boldly into major opportunities, this time stretching from technology investing into professional sports ownership at a record-breaking price.
What makes his story stand out from many other billionaires in the headlines is how deliberately private he has kept his personal life, even while his business moves get maximum attention. His family life with Karlie Kloss and their three children is publicly known in broad strokes, but plenty of specifics, like his exact current net worth or physical details, are not something he has laid out for the public, and this article has stuck to what can actually be confirmed rather than filling those gaps with guesses.
Expect his name to keep showing up in search results in the coming weeks as the Lakers sale moves toward NBA approval. Once that process wraps up, more concrete details about his role in running the franchise alongside Bob Iger should become clearer.
John Wood is the founder and lead editor of Biography Region. He researches and writes accurate, engaging biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, and public figures, delivering well-sourced, reader-focused content that informs and inspires.