Avoiding the family drama: How Josh Kushner built a $16-billion legacy and became the newest owner of the Lakers

When news broke that Mark Walter's insurance businesses were under federal investigation and that the Lakers and Dodgers owner might be in financial trouble, Josh Kushner sensed a business opportunity.

The New York venture capitalist called former Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger — his partner in a bid for a new Las Vegas NBA franchise — wondering if they might instead snap up Los Angeles' marquee basketball team.

The two quickly agreed, Kushner contacted Walter and within 72 hours the deal was done to avoid a bidding war. And with that, the younger brother of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law, was thrust into a media spotlight he has largely shunned.

But while Kushner may be relatively unknown compared with his politically active brother, he has rapidly and quietly risen to the upper echelons of business, with an estimated net worth of $16.7 billion.

His Thrive Capital, which he founded in 2010 while attending Harvard Business School, has more than $65 billion under management. Its investments include some of the world's top young companies, including OpenAI, SpaceX and rapidly expanding Southern California defense contractor Anduril .

People who work with the investor credit his business acumen, low-key demeanor and daunting work ethic, qualities that have attracted partners, founders and mentors alike — including Iger.

"I was immediately impressed with Josh's curiosity, which seems limitless, and that's something that draws me to people in general ... particularly in people who want to get ahead in the business world," Iger said in an interview.

But Kushner's rise has been far from smooth.

He's had to fend off insults he's a "nepo baby" and deal with fallout from a scandal surrounding his wealthy developer father, who was sentenced to two years in federal custody for tax evasion and other charges.

A Democratic donor but a registered independent, Kushner also has had to walk a tightrope to avoid entanglement with the Trump administration, for whom his brother is now attempting to broker an Iran peace deal. It's a challenge complicated by his vocal Democratic wife, supermodel and entrepreneur Karlie Kloss.

Nitin Nohria, the former dean of Harvard's business school and now executive chairman of Thrive, recalls Kushner approaching him after Trump's first election in 2016.

"He said, 'Nitin, what should I do?' I said, 'Just stay focused on the business. Say nothing, do nothing. Become as invisible as you can, because you have a great business to run, and this will just be a distraction ... once you enter this distraction, it is going to be so big, it's going to swallow you.'"