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Shahid Khan Makes Billions from Bumpers
By James Moreau | 19 Jul, 2025
The Pakistani American turned Flex-N-Gate into an automotive giant that afforded him the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C.
It took Shahid Khan 13 years to go from new Pakistani immigrant to owner of his first and only employer Flex-N-Gate. Today, at 74, he’s known more for his multi-sports empire than his $8.9 billion global automotive bumper business employing 27,000.
Khan entered the sports business in 2011 when his $770 million bid for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars was unanimously approved by the league’s owners. That made Khan the league’s first minority owner. Today the Jaguars are worth $4.6 billion, according to Forbes.
Less than two years later Flex-N-Gate was profitable enough to afford him the English Premier League team Fulham FC at $200 million. The team is now worth $850 million.
IN 2019 Khan founded All Elite Wrestling which he now co-owns with 42-year-old son Tony Khan. AEW is now worth $2 billion.
Khan immigrated to the United States in 1967 at age 16 to study at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. As a student he began working at auto parts maker Flex-N-Gate. He became its engineering director upon graduating in 1971 with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering.
He left in 1978 to launch Bumper Works. It offered an innovative a one-piece bumper design that eliminated welds and became the industry standard. Just two years later Bumper Works was doing well enough to let Khan buy his former employer. After he integrated Bumper Works into its operations Flex-N-Gate became a supplier to the largest domestic and international auto brands.
Today at age 75, Shahid Khan has a $13.3 billion personal net worth, making him the richest person of Pakistani origin.
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