Early Life and Family
Daniel Morton Ziff was born in 1973. He is the youngest son of William Bernard Ziff, Jr., a Jewish American media magnate who built the Ziff-Davis magazine empire, which included titles like *PC Magazine* and *Car and Driver*. His mother, Barbara Ingrid Beitz, was an ethnic German. Ziff graduated from the Trinity School in New York City and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 1996.
Rise to Success
In 1994, after the sale of the Ziff-Davis publishing business for $1.4 billion, Daniel, along with his brothers Dirk and Robert, inherited the family fortune. They decided to invest their inheritance and formed Ziff Brothers Investments. The firm invested in diverse assets, including equities, debt, real estate, commodities, and hedge funds. A notable investment was providing seed money to fund manager Daniel Och, acquiring a 10% stake in Och-Ziff Capital Management. Ziff Brothers Investments ceased operations in 2014, and the brothers reportedly continued to invest independently.
Key Business Strategies
Ziff's investment strategy centered on a diversified approach, encompassing equities, real estate, hedge funds, and private equity. The firm became known for its disciplined and data-driven investment strategies, which earned it a reputation as one of the most successful family offices. Ziff has been noted for his involvement in political funding.
Philanthropy
Daniel Ziff and his family have been involved in various philanthropic initiatives. The Ziff family has supported numerous causes, including education, healthcare, and the arts. In 2018, Daniel and his brother donated $2 million to the Center for Climate and Life, a research initiative at Columbia's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.