Austin, TX
Austin shined in the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Here are 5 Austinites who stood out
Forbes reveals its 2024 30 Under 30 list
Forbes has revealed its 2025 30 Under 30 list, celebrating the next generation of talent across entertainment, sports, finance and more.
unbranded – Entertainment
Austin has spent years cultivating its status as a boomtown for rising talent, and the latest Forbes 30 Under 30 shows it.
Austinites were represented in almost every category of the list, which includes 600 people across 20 categories. This year’s list focused heavily on influencers, founders, athletes, and innovators.
As Gen Z has begun to heavily populate the list, there is a distinct trend of influencer and online culture across all categories.
With Austin being one of the list’s headlining cities, here are five Austin residents who made the cut and more on how Texas’ capital became well-represented.
Austin was a top city in this year’s 30 under 30
For the first time, Austin was one of the top five cities featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list — the others being New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
There are myriad reasons why Austin now features so prominently on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, but the influx of industry rapidly transforming the city is undoubtedly a key factor.
From newly arrived companies like Oracle, Tesla, and SpaceX to long-established ones such as Dell, Whole Foods, and Kendra Scott, Austin is now one of the most opportunity-rich metro areas in the country.
This, paired with a growing population largely defined by younger professionals, has helped redefine how Austin is seen on the national stage.
Alec Nguyen & Austin (Hung) Nguyen – Education
The two Lawrence University graduates, Alex Nguyen and Austin “Hung” Nguyen, are the founders of Afforai. The Austin-based company is a digital workspace meant to facilitate writing and researching.
On the workspace, artificial intelligence helps you write, cite and research content for an array of assignments and tasks. The two now boast 100,000 followers and, according to Forbes, projected 2024 revenue is expected to be $1.5 million thanks to enterprise clients like Northern Arizona University’s College of Nursing.
Gabby Thomas – Sports
At 27 years old, very few can claim a resume as diverse and impressive as Gabby Thomas. The recent Austinite earned her undergraduate degree in neurobiology and global health at Harvard University.
In 2020, she enrolled in a master’s program at the University of Texas, where she completed a degree in public health with a capstone project in sleep epidemiology in May 2023.
All of this alone would be impressive; however, Thomas did all of this while becoming an Olympic sprinter and earning six medals at the competition — including three golds in Paris.
Golloria George – Social Media
Golloria George is a beauty influencer who has amassed 2 million followers on TikTok alone. She is known for promoting makeup inclusivity and has worked with major brands like Patrick Ta, Rhode and Texas favorite Tecovas.
George arrived in the U.S. from South Sudan when she was five and, at 23, is now one of the most influential beauty creators on social media.
Evelyn Duan – Finance
While Austin might not be known as a finance city, Evelyn Dylan and Sixth Street Growth are working to change that. Already the Vice President, Duan has as focused her work at Sixth Street on investing in Software companies. This includes Bloomreach, SnapLogic and Heap — each of which have a valuation of $1 billion or more.
Duan, another first-generation immigrant on this list, uses her experience to mentor international students through Ascend Mentoring.
Kent (Jingxu) Zheng – Science
Kent “Jingxu” Zheng is another UT Austin addition, although he is a professor rather than a former or current student.
Now Zheng is developing lithium-free batteries designed to be more affordable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. He has created “textured electrodes” made from zinc and aluminum, enabling exceptional battery rechargeability.
His research also focuses on utilizing cost-effective materials like iron and water-based electrolytes to produce high-performance batteries.
Beck Andrew Salgado covers trending topics in the Austin business ecosystem for the American-Statesman. To share additional tips or insights with Salgado, email Bsalgado@gannett.com.
AUSTIN, Texas – A 28-year-old Austin woman who was reported missing earlier this week has been located, according to the Austin Police Department.
What we know:
Police announced Saturday that Ghadah Alharbi has been found following a public appeal for information about her whereabouts.
Alharbi was last known to have contacted family members by phone around 8 p.m. on June 16. Her disappearance was described by investigators as out of character, prompting concern from both her family and the Austin Police Department.
Authorities said she had left her vehicle at her residence in Central Austin near Mueller and was known to use ride-share services for transportation.
Dig deeper:
The Austin Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit had requested the public’s assistance in locating Alharbi on Friday, citing concerns for her well-being.
In an update released Saturday, police confirmed Alharbi had been located but did not provide additional details about where she was found or the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Police thanked the community and media for their assistance and cooperation.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by Austin police.
Following controversial comments from head coach Steve Sarkisian and recruiting battles with other contending teams, the Texas Longhorns have once again found themselves in the national spotlight ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Just like this time 365 days ago, the Longhorns are the favorites to win the SEC Championship by the time the postseason rolls around, as well as be contenders for the national championship — despite failing to gain a playoff berth in 2025.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Texas’ preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning and his first year at the helm of the Longhorns’ offense. Despite predictions that Manning would win the Heisman and be the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Longhorns went on to a nine-win regular season with steady, ongoing improvements in Manning’s performance.
Now, the attention from national media seems due to the “all-in” season that the Longhorns are looking toward, with a huge roster turnover through the transfer portal suggesting that this is the make-or-break year for Texas — and Manning — to achieve any national championship hopes.
However, a “make-or-break” season isn’t necessarily what’s ahead for Texas in 2026.
Texas’ Championship Hopes Aren’t Necessarily Over After 2026
It’s fair to assume that the Longhorns are going all in for a national championship in 2026, given the emphasis on experienced transfer portal talent, coaching staff changes and even talk from some players about what the team’s goals are over the offseason.
But considering 2026 as the Longhorns’ last chance for a trophy in the immediate future isn’t as easily justifiable, especially when Texas may not be considering much of a rebuild after this season ends. Sarkisian himself didn’t deny that Manning may come back for another year with Texas in 2027, and many key playmakers on both offense and defense have several more years of eligibility left.
Especially looking at Texas’ incoming class of freshmen and history with the transfer portal, it’s likely that the Longhorns are setting themselves up for longevity more than immediate success. If Manning does decide to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, incoming freshman quarterback Dia Bell will be an exciting prospect for Texas to bank on when looking for its next offensive leader.
It’s natural that the Longhorns should continue to generate national excitement, especially with the newest five-star commit to the 2027 class. Even so, Texas has a habit of bucking the trends and national predictions. The pressure was on in 2025 to win a national championship in Manning’s first year as a starter, and as more mock drafts continue to slate him as a first-rounder, that pressure has only heightened in what most onlookers see as his last year playing college football.
Whether the Longhorns will buckle under that pressure this go-around will be seen, starting with their home opener against Texas State on Sept. 5.
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AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
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Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
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