The Story of Bambang Hartono: Founder of Djarum, Billionaire with a Hobby for Eating Tahu Pong

The owner of PT Djarum, Michael Bambang Hartono, passed away today, Thursday (19/3/2026) at 13:15 in Singapore.

“The Djarum family expresses deep sorrow over the passing of Mr Michael Bambang Hartono on Thursday, 19 March 2026 at 13:15 Singapore time,” stated Corporate Communication Manager of PT Djarum, Budi Darmawan.

The cigarette business of PT Djarum and share ownership in Bank Central Asia (BCA) formed the main sources of his wealth.

Additionally, his business expansions encompassed infrastructure, technology, and more.

Various Indonesian startups such as Blibli, tiket.com, Kaskus, and Gojek received investments from PT Djarum.

Although bearing the title of conglomerate, Bambang Hartono applied a unique principle in his life, namely that simplicity is an attitude.

Bambang Hartono was once captured on camera by a netizen eating tahu pong at a roadside stall in the Karangsaru area, Semarang, Central Java.

Not just once or twice, he visited that stall multiple times, becoming a regular customer.

Besides tahu pong, every morning he often enjoyed the typical Kudus cuisine, lentog.

The simple quote “simplicity is an attitude” was proven by him by valuing the taste of a dish over prestige.