Differences between Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani

Comparison Article

Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani are Indian business magnates and the sons of Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries. Following their father's death in 2002 without a will, control of the company was taken up by both brothers. After a period of disagreement over ownership, their mother Kokilaben Ambani facilitated a demerger of the business assets in 2005. Mukesh Ambani retained control over the core oil, gas, and petrochemicals businesses, while Anil Ambani received the newer ventures in telecommunications, power, and financial services. This split resulted in two independent business groups: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), led by Mukesh, and the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), led by Anil.

Comparison Table

Category	Mukesh Ambani	Anil Ambani
Primary Conglomerate	Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL)	Reliance Group (ADAG)
Core Business Focus	Oil to chemicals, petrochemicals, telecommunications (Jio), and retail.	Financial services, infrastructure, power, and formerly telecommunications.
Net Worth (2025)	Estimated between US$95 billion and US$108 billion.	Estimated between US$530 million and US$1.2 billion.
Career Trajectory	Has overseen the expansion of RIL into India's largest public company by market capitalization, primarily through large-scale projects in refining and the successful launch of Jio.	Faced significant financial challenges, with several companies accumulating substantial debt, leading to the sale of assets and a sharp decline from a peak net worth of US$42 billion in 2008.
Leadership Approach	Described as detail-oriented and execution-focused, with an emphasis on strategic long-term planning, large-scale implementation, and building a strong leadership team.	Often viewed as a deal-maker with a focus on relationships. His approach has involved ventures in newer, capital-intensive sectors.
Flagship Companies	Reliance Retail, Jio Platforms.	Reliance Capital, Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Power.
Education	Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.	Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Venn diagram comparing Differences between Anil Ambani and Mukesh Ambani

Business Developments Post-Split

After the 2005 demerger, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited focused on strengthening its existing businesses while expanding into new sectors. A significant development was the launch of Reliance Jio in 2016, a telecommunications company that quickly gained a large market share in India. RIL also grew its retail division, Reliance Retail, into the largest retailer in the country.

Anil Ambani's Reliance Group initially saw success, including the 2008 IPO of Reliance Power. However, many of the group's companies, including Reliance Communications (RCom), encountered financial difficulties and high levels of debt. This led to the sale of various assets over the years. For instance, RCom's fiber-optic network was sold to Mukesh Ambani's Jio. Some of the group's companies, such as Reliance Power and Reliance Infrastructure, have since undergone debt reduction efforts.