WealthPeopleThe AFR ViewThe AFR ViewBillionaire barons have every right to use their money to influence usSitting atop a $39 billion iron ore fortune and the AFR Rich List for seven consecutive years, Gina Rinehart is a prime example of a local billionaire who is building a network of influence and patronage.Since the Gilded Age of Rockefeller, Carnegie and Vanderbilt, billionaires of all political stripes have understood how to leverage their vast fortunes to shape public discourse.Modern-day American “robber barons” such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos all control the largest single chunk of Wall Street’s market value and wield an outsized impact on America’s politics, civic society and economy.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Latest In PeopleFetching latest articlesMost Viewed In Wealth