Yuri Milner
A physicist-turned-investor who used his fortune to fund a cosmic quest, backing the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and fundamental science.
Born 1961 (age 65)·Israeli entrepreneur and physicist·Birthday: November 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Yuri Milner's path from Soviet physics student to one of the world's most influential tech investors is a narrative of intellectual ambition scaling to a galactic level. After studying theoretical physics, he pivoted to business, making early and prescient bets on companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Alibaba through his firm DST Global. This financial success became fuel for a deeper passion. In 2012, he and his wife Julia launched the Breakthrough Prize, 'the Oscars of Science,' awarding millions to researchers in fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics. His most visionary project is Breakthrough Initiatives, which commits hundreds of millions to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and interstellar exploration, including the Starshot project to send nanocraft to Alpha Centauri. Milner has effectively created a new model for private, high-risk funding of humanity's biggest questions.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Yuri was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Yuri Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Yuri's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the Breakthrough Prize, which awards $3 million to scientists, making it the largest monetary science prize in the world.
- Launched Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million initiative to conduct the most comprehensive search for extraterrestrial communications to date.
- His investment firm DST Global was an early major investor in Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify.
- Authored the 'Eureka Manifesto,' a short book arguing for a cosmic-focused future for humanity.
Did You Know?
He is named after Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
He abandoned his PhD in physics at the Soviet Academy of Sciences to attend the Wharton School of Business in the US.
He and his wife have signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.
His book 'Eureka Manifesto' was initially released as an NFT.
“We are not alone in the universe. The question is not if we will find life, but when.”
