Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of energy drink company Red Bull, has died aged 78, the company announced late Saturday (October 22) in a statement.
“ We inform you that Dietrich Mateschitz passed away today “Wrote management in an email to employees, expressing its” sadness ” and of ” his gratitude for what he has accomplished “. According to the Austrian agency APA, he died of cancer.
Born on May 20, 1944, Dietrich Mateschitz co-founded Red Bull (red bull, in French) in 1984 with a Thai partner, Chaleo Yoovidhya. It was during a business trip that he discovered an energy drink in a bar of a Hong Kong hotel, of which he bought the rights of the company.
This shy personality was considered in 2022 by Forbes magazine as the first fortune of Austria, estimated at 27.4 billion euros. He owned the paradise island of Laucala in Fiji and numerous properties in Austria, where he cultivated discretion. Never married, always in jeans, graying hair, Dieter Mateschitz will almost never give an interview to journalists. His Red Bull empire employs more than 13,000 people in 172 countries, with a turnover of around 8 billion euros, and sells nearly 10 billion cans a year.
From formula 1 to football
The entrepreneur had bet on sports sponsorship so as not to depend solely on the income generated by his energy drink, as well as to offer him unparalleled exposure. In thirty years, the firm has become an essential partner of world sport, from extreme sports to Formula 1, through soccer.
The commercial growth of its drink was driven by this strategy, which culminated in 2012 with the sponsorship of Felix Baumgartnerthe first man to break the sound barrier in stratospheric freefall.
Christian Horner, owner of theRed Bull team in F1immediately reacted from Austin (Texas) where the United States Grand Prix is held on Sunday: “ This is very, very sad, what a great man. It is one of a kind. What he has accomplished and what he has done for so many people around the world is second to none. […] Many of us have to be grateful to him for the opportunities he provided, the vision he had, the strength of character. And never be afraid to follow your dreams and chase them “.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also said: deeply saddened “, paying homage to” a highly respected and much loved member of the Formula 1 family “.
(with AFP)