Who are they - people whose names do not leave the pages of Forbes, and whose rapid career is admired by millions? Who this year promises to break records in terms of well-being and who should we, “mere mortals”, be equal to? We bring to your attention the TOP 10 richest people in the world 2018 of the year.
10 Michael Bloomberg
Opens the ranking of the richest people in the world in 2018, the former mayor of New York, American Michael Bloomberg with a fortune of 47.5 billion dollars. The main source of his income is the Bloomberg LP corporation, which provides information services. Like the vast majority the richest people planet, Bloomberg is actively involved in charity work and donates funds for various purposes.
9
The brother of a person who is one step higher in our rating. The amount of capital of a 76-year-old man is 48.3 billion dollars. The main source of profit is the same Koch Industries holding, established in 1940.
Both brothers are members of the Republican Party, which they actively sponsor. They do not spare money for education, in every possible way supporting gifted students who come from poor families.
8
8th place in the list of the richest people in the world 2017 according to Forbes versions occupied by the American Charles Koch, whose fortune was estimated at 48.3 billion. Together with his brother, this 81-year-old man owns Koch Industries, a diversified holding company that has grown into a tiny oil refinery founded by his father. In addition to business interests, the billionaire, despite his advanced age, is interested in politics and regularly donates funds to charity.
7 Larry Ellison
The 72-year-old American has multiplied his wealth by $13.3 billion over the past year, bringing his net worth to $61 billion.
Mr. Ellison is a well-known developer software, who, despite his talent, could not graduate from the university. He was made a billionaire by Oracle, which is now focused on improving cloud services.
Ellison's hobby is sailing, in which the richest man on the planet willingly invests money. He does not spare money for charity: last year, the businessman promised the University of California $ 200 million for the creation of an effective cure for cancer.
6
Another representative of the ranking of the richest people in the world in 2017 is a Mexican billionaire with a capital of $65.1 billion. The main source of income for this 77-year-old man is Telecom. In addition, Mr. Slim invests in Mexican development, mining, manufacturing consumer goods. He also owns a 17 percent stake in The New York Times.
5 Mark Zuckerberg
One of the youngest billionaires in the world, whose net worth is $72.9 billion. The source of such an impressive amount is the world famous social network Facebook, which Mark created at the age of 19, almost 13 years ago.
Today, the billionaire is actively involved in the management of his offspring and oversees major acquisitions of other Internet giants. Not so long ago, the Zuckerberg couple became parents, in connection with which they promised to donate 99 percent of their wealth to charity.
4
The 80-year-old Spaniard boasts a fortune of $76.4 billion, which has increased by $4.3 billion in the last year alone. Retail has brought serious prosperity to this man, and he receives the lion's share of his capital thanks to his ownership of shares in Zara, which he, together with his late wife, established back in 1975.
From dividends alone, Ortega makes $400 million a year, successfully investing the money he earns in real estate.
3
The third position in the list of the richest people in the world in 2018, according to Forbes magazine, belongs to businessman Warren Buffett with a fortune of $ 85.6 billion. The source of the billions of the 86-year-old man is Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett Holding owns a certain percentage of the shares of more than 60 companies. The billionaire, who made his first investment at the age of 11, invests in companies such as IBM, Wells Fargo, Coca-Cola and others. Together with Bill Gates, the man founded the Giving Pledge company, to which he promised to donate 99 percent of his capital.
2
By the end of 2017, Bill Gates, for the first time in 4 years, lost the title of the richest man on the planet, taking second place in the Forbes ranking. His fortune is estimated at more than 90.8 billion dollars. The 61-year-old owner of the IT giant Microsoft created his offspring 40 years ago, and today he owns 3 percent of the shares of his native corporation. Among his other investments is the Canadian Railway, a well-known American engineering company, Republic Services (a waste recycling company), as well as the famous auto dealer AutoNation. However, Mr. Gates considers the work of a charitable foundation to improve the state of affairs in the healthcare system and help overcome hunger in third world countries as a priority for his activities.
1 Jeff Bezos
The state of this successful person valued at $98.6 billion. He is the founder of Amazon, whose stock was the fastest growing last year. Due to the rapid rise in prices, the businessman's assets grew by 33.8 billion. Due to the large increase in the capital of the Internet retailer, Bezos rose in the ranking from third to first place, becoming the richest person in the world in 2017-2018.
The 53-year-old billionaire, among other things, owns a company that develops rockets. The man dreams in the future of launching the production of space shuttles that will be engaged in passenger transportation in space. Bezos's hobby is raising the wreckage of NASA spacecraft from the depths of the sea.
Billionaire best friends Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are the two richest people in the world.
The richest 30 people in the world control a huge part of the global economy: $1.23 trillion - more than the annual GDP of Spain, Mexico or Turkey.
This is in line with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which recently relaunched and expanded online to include 500 billionaires worldwide. The ranking is updated daily to provide the latest data on the richest men and women in the world.
And so the 30 richest people in the world:
30. Ma Huateng 
net worth: $22.5 billion USA
Age: 45
Country: China
Industry: Technology
How He Got Rich: Tencent Holdings
Software engineer Ma Huateng (aka Pony Ma) founded China's largest Internet portal, Tencent Holdings, in 1998. He was 26 years old. Ma has a number of successful and widely used platforms, including QQ, its instant messaging service, which is one of the world's top 10 sites; mobile text service (WeChat) with over 800 million users; mobile commerce product (WeChat Wallet); and an online gaming community (Tencent Games), the largest in China.
Ma's wealth increased by $4.7 billion last year.
29. Phil Knight 
Net worth: US$25 billion
Age: 78
Country: USA
How He Got Rich: Nike
He worked as an accountant for the Blue Ribbon Sports footwear company. Then he launched his own brand of sports shoes Nike.
Nike's success has been fueled by collaborations with famous athletes, from runner Steve Prefontaine in 1973 to one of the most successful shoe marketers of all time, Michael Jordan, whom Nike signed to a five-year contract in 1984 worth $500,000 a year. Today, the NBA's biggest star is still affiliated with Nike, and LeBron James signed a lifetime contract with the brand in 2015, reportedly worth over $1 billion.
28. George Soros 
Net worth: $25.2 billion USA
Age: 86
Country: USA
Industry: Hedge funds
How He Got Rich: Managing the Soros Foundation
Born in Budapest, George Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary during World War II before moving to the UK and then the US. He is called "the man who broke the Bank of England", he is best known for the hedge fund, which he created in 1973 under the management of the Soros Fund Management company. In 1992, he cut the British pound, a risky move, ended up making $1 billion in one day and solidified Soros's place in the financial world. The Quantum Fund is also generating over 30% annual returns under Soros' leadership, making it one of the most successful hedge funds of all time.
Today, Soros remains chairman of the board of Soros Fund Management, which manages more than $25 billion in assets, including stakes in famous companies like Amazon, Facebook and Netflix. He is also chairman of Open Society, an organization founded in 1979 that functions as a network of foundations and partners around the world that promote the values open society and human rights.
Over the past year, Soros' wealth has shrunk by $800 million.
27. Mukesh Ambani 
Net worth: $26.3 billion USA
Age: 59
Country: India
Industry: Petrochemicals, oil and gas
Source of wealth: Inheritance; Industries
Mukesh Ambani became chairman of Reliance Industries when his father, the founder of the company, passed away in 2002. A huge industrial conglomerate in the fields of energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail and, more recently, telecommunications.
Ambani is the richest man in India and owns a 27-storey Mumbai mansion worth $1 billion.
26. Wang Wei
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Net worth: $26.5 billion USA
Age: 46
Country: China
Industry: Transport
How He Got Rich: SF Holding
Wang Wei founded China's largest package delivery company, SF Express. He recently debuted on stock exchange, and for the first time hit the list of the richest people. Over the past year, his fortune has increased by almost $22.7 billion. USA.
According to Bloomberg, the son of a Russian translator for the People's Liberation Army Air Force, Wang, grew up in Hong Kong and then returned to his birthplace in China in the 1990s to start a delivery service. At the time, his business was considered part of the "black shipping" market, and he risked being caught and fined by the country's postal officers.
25. Steve Ballmer 
Net Worth: US$27 billion
Age: 60
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
Source of wealth: ; Microsoft
Steve Ballmer left Stanford Business School in 1980 to join Harvard friend Bill Gates at Microsoft as the company's first business manager, earning a $50,000 salary and a stake in the company. Ballmer has served as vice president of marketing, vice president of systems software, and executive vice president of sales and support, and was often referred to as the "numbers guy".
He became the company's CEO in 2000 after Gates stepped down, and he remained in charge of the software giant until Satya Nadella replaced him in 2014. Under Microsoft's management, the company's revenue grew by 294% and profit by 181% - although its market share was surpassed by Google and Apple in the same period.
After he took over as CEO, Ballmer fulfilled his dream of owning an NBA franchise by paying $2 billion in a deal to buy the Los Angeles Clippers, now his main business.
Last year equity Ballmer increased by $4.8 billion.
24. Sheldon Adelson 
Net Worth: US$28 billion
Age: 83
Country: USA
Industry: Real estate
How He Got Rich: Las Vegas Casinos
"King of Las Vegas" hit the jackpot for the first time in 1995, when he was 61 years old, and also at Computer Dealers' (COMDEX), one of the largest trade shows in Las Vegas. That year, Adelson sold the company to the Japanese Softbank for $860 million and used the money to finance the purchase of Sands Casino He quickly demolished it and built the Venetian Casino Resort and Sands Expo convention center in its place After further expansion, he took his gaming conglomerate, Las Vegas Sands, to open in 2004 .
Adelson, a former reporter and mortgage broker and the son of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants, suffered greatly during financial crisis reportedly lost $25 billion in 2008 and needed to boost his company's balance sheet with $1 billion in cash. Even though the casino had a tough 2015 - shares fell 25% during the year - its fortunes have recovered from the dark days of 2008. Net worth rose by $3.2 billion last year. He still runs the casino and is the CEO of China Sands, a subsidiary that opened its fifth casino in Macau last year.
In late 2015, he bought Nevada's largest newspaper for $140 million.
23. Jorge Lehmann 
Net worth: $28.8 billion USA
Age: 76
Country: Brazil
How He Got Rich: 3G Capital
After being called "the most interesting billionaire in the world" by Bloomberg, Jorge Lehmann was previously a journalist and professional tennis champion before moving into funding in 1971 with the purchase of a small Brazilian brokerage firm. Later he continued the joint investment company 3G Capital in 2004, which made Lehmann best known for the Warren Buffett deals.
In late 2014, Lehmann created a fast food giant with Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway by bringing together Burger King with Canadian brand Tim Horton in a series of deals worth over $11 billion. In 2015, 3G and Berkshire Hathaway teamed up again to invest $10 billion in the Kraft and Heinz mega-germ, which created the fifth largest food and beverage company in the world.
In November 2015, 3G's Anheuser-Busch InBev made a mammoth $108 billion deal to take over SABMiller, becoming the world's most dominant beer maker. Earlier this year, he initiated a takeover deal - Unilever - a deal that was worth about $250 billion.
Over the past year, his net worth has increased by $2.9 billion. USA.
22. Li Ka-shing 
Net worth: $30.6 billion USA
Age: 88
Country: Hong Kong
Industry: Diversified investments
How He Got Rich: CK Hutchison Holdings
Despite humble beginnings, business tycoon Li Ka-shing became the richest man in Hong Kong. After his father died of tuberculosis, Li dropped out of school at 16 to support his family by working in a plastic flower factory. Six years later, he opened his own factory, the predecessor of which is today known as CK Hutchison Holdings, a sprawling trading empire with interests in real estate, manufacturing, energy, telecommunications and technology.
Savvy investor Lee and his venture fund Horizon Ventures have backed companies like Facebook, Skype, Spotify and the launch of Hampton Creek egg replacement products.
Lee's net worth is up $4.1 billion. USA for the last year.
21. Wang Jianlin 
Net worth: $31.6 billion USA
Age: 62
Country: China
Industry: Real estate
How He Got Rich: Dalian Wanda Group
Real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin, who served in the Chinese military from 1970 to 1986, controls dozens of sectors and hundreds of companies before going into business. Some of Wang's largest investments abroad, including high-end property development projects in Sydney and Madrid. Since this time last year, his wealth has grown by $4.8 billion.
From 2014 to 2015, his net worth more than doubled from $13.2 billion to $30 billion.
19 and 20 John and Jacqueline Mars 
John Mars owns the Mars candy world along with siblings Forrest and Jacqueline.
Net worth: $32.4 billion USA each
Age: 77 and 81
Country: USA
Industry: Candy
Source of wealth: Inheritance; Mars Inc.
Siblings Jacqueline and John Mars inherited a stake in the iconic Candymaker Mars Inc. when their father, Forrest Sr., died in 1999.
In 2008, Mars expanded, now producing not only candy, but also chewing gum, pet food.
Per last year their combined net worth increased by $2.6 billion.
18. Alice Walton 
Net worth: $34 billion USA
Age: 67
Country: USA
Industry: retail
The daughter of the late Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton is a major figure in the company, making her the richest woman on earth. Although she never took an active part in the management of the supermarket.
Instead of spending time at Walmart, Walton became a patron of the arts. In 2011, she opened the $50 million Crystal Bridge Museum in Arkansas, which displays a number of her famous paintings.
In 2015, Walton donated 3.7 million of his Walmart shares to non-profit organization family and put her Texas ranches—one a working horse ranch and another a luxury vacation spot—on the market for a total of $48 million.
Over the past year, her net worth has grown by $2.3 billion.
17. Jim Walton 
Net worth: $35.1 billion USA
Age: 68
Country: USA
Industry: retail
Source of wealth: Inheritance; walmart
James "Jim" Walton's parents, Helen and Sam Walton, acquired a majority stake in Arkansas Bank in Bentonville a year before the first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962, when Jim was only 14 years old. Within five years, the family owned 24 retail stores. In 1975, after working in Walmart's real estate department for several years, Jim joined his parent bank, later renamed Arvest Bank Group. He is now Chairman and CEO regional bank community, which has $15 billion in assets. Over the past year, Walton has grown by $2.7 billion.
16. Rob Walton 
Net worth: $35.4 billion USA
Age: 72
Country: USA
Industry: retail
Source of wealth: Inheritance; walmart
Samuel Robson "Rob" Walton is the eldest son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. In 1969, he began working on the iconic trading giant, holding positions from senior vice president to chairman general counsel, from which he stepped down as of June 2015 after 23 years. His son-in-law succeeded him.
On New Year's Eve, Walton and his brother donated 1.5 million shares to charity, while their sister Alice gave away 3.7 million shares, totaling $407 million. This is an incredible amount!
Last year, his wealth increased by $3.3 billion.
15. Jack Ma 
Net worth: $35.7 billion USA
Age: 52
Country: China
Industry: Technology
How He Got Rich: Alibaba
China's richest man, Alibaba founder and executive chairman Jack Ma, reportedly started China's first internet company in 1988: China Yellowpages. He handed over control of the company to a state-owned telecommunications company in 1996 and launched Alibaba three years later for just $60,000. Fifteen years after its creation, the company became the largest in the world.
But the company's shares fell 22% in 2015, most likely due to a slowdown in the Chinese economy and problems with counterfeiters using the company's platform. Ma didn't care. He acknowledged that 2016 will be a difficult year for the Chinese economy, but remained confident in Alibaba's long-term success.
Over the past year, Ma's wealth has increased by $8.4 billion. USA.
14. Liliana Bettencourt 
Net worth: $36.8 billion USA
Age: 94
Country: France
Industry: Cosmetics
Source of wealth: Inheritance; Group L "Oreal
The heiress of the L "Oreal cosmetics fortune and the company's largest shareholder, Liliane Bettencourt is the richest woman in the world, with a net worth of $36.8 billion, an increase of $3 billion last year alone. She no longer has a hand in business operations, but L" Oreal and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, founded by her and her late husband, continue to thrive. She is an art collector who owns works by Picasso, Matisse and Munch.
In recent years, Bettencourt was forced to sue in May 2015 when eight people, including trusted friends and financial advisors, were convicted of using the capital of the heiress.
In late 2015, charges were filed against her former butler and five journalists for recording meetings with the billionaire and thus violating her right to immunity. privacy. The butler, Pascal Bonnefoy, claimed to have taken the notes to show Betancourt's fragile condition - all six were acquitted in January 2016.
13. Bernard Arnault 
Net worth: US$40 billion
Age: 67
Country: France
Industry: Luxury goods
How He Got Rich: LVMH
Bernard Arnault's LVMH has 70 luxury brands from Louis Vuitton to Hennessy to Dom Perignon, controlled by the family company Groupe Arnault. By the 1980s and 90s, Arnault, having started working as a civil engineer, took over the family business and proceeded to buy the high-end fashion house Christian Dior, resurrecting it from the brink of bankruptcy. Like most LVMH brands today, Dior is thriving.
Arno's wealth grew by $6.8 billion last year. USA.
12. Sergey Brin 
Net worth: $41.6 billion USA
Age: 43
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
Source of wealth: Google
Along with co-founder Larry Page, Sergey Brin helped orchestrate Google's massive restructuring that the company announced in 2015. The move brought Google under the umbrella of Alphabet, a holding company with Brin as president and Page as CEO. Other Google ventures such as Nest and Google X are separate companies also under Alphabet.
The restructuring allowed Brin to focus on exploring new projects and moonshot ideas. With top-notch talent and an abundance of resources, Alphabet has already made automatic homes and self-driving cars a reality.
Brin, who emigrated from Moscow to the US as a child, was linked to Page in 1995 at Stanford, where they were each doing PhDs. Three years later, they founded Google, now one of the most powerful companies on the planet.
Over the past year, Brin's wealth has increased by $4.1 billion.
11. Larry Page 
Net worth: $42.5 billion USA
Age: 43
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
Source of wealth: Google
As a student at Stanford University in 1998, Larry Page teamed up with fellow student Sergey Brin to create BackRub, an early search engine. The project eventually turned into Google - now called Alphabet - one of the largest companies in the world, worth over $581 billion. Over the past year, the company's personal net worth increased by $4.3 billion.
10. Ingvar Kamprad 
Net worth: $43 billion USA
Age: 90
Country: Sweden
Industry: retail
How He Got Rich: IKEA
At 17, Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA, now the world's largest furniture store with nearly 34.2 billion euros ($36 billion) in revenue. Kamprad's plan from the start was to create "eternal life" for IKEA, which meant keeping it on stock market and securing it in a complex corporate structure involving philanthropic work and trade and franchise work, collectively known as the Stichting INGKA Foundation. Although the Swedish business magnate is no longer involved in day-to-day decision-making processes, he still sits in meetings as a senior adviser to the supervisory board. .
Among his peers, the 90-year-old founder is incredibly humble despite his vast fortune. He reportedly flies economy, stays in cheap hotels and drives the same Volvo for more than two decades. He also infamously moved IKEA and his family out of Sweden in the 1970s to avoid its burdensome tax rates. He returned to live in his native country in 2013 after a long spell in Switzerland.
Kamprad has donated $300 million to a lifetime charity.
Last year, Kamprad's personal wealth increased by $2.6 billion.
9. Larry Ellison 
Net worth: $45.3 billion USA
Age: 72
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
How He Got Rich: Oracle Corp.
In 1977, Larry Ellison teamed up with two colleagues from electronic company to start his own programming firm, which soon signed a contract to build a relational database management system for the CIA under Project Oracle Code. The project grew to what is today known as Oracle Corp., which generated $37 billion last year. In 2010, Ellison cut his annual salary from $1 million to $1, but he still receives over $60 million in compensation through generous stock awards. Ellison stepped down as CEO in 2014 after 38 years and assumed the role of Chief Technical Officer.
The tech mogul is also a generous philanthropist, donating money to nature conservation and medical research.
Ellison's wealth increased by $5.2 billion last year.
7. TIE: David Koch 
Age: 76
Country: USA
Industry: Diversified investments
Along with his brother Charles, David Koch runs Koch Industries and is an executive vice president. The second largest private company, $100 billion (in sales) Koch Industries makes everything from fertilizer and Dixie cups to asphalt and biodiesel. Last year, David's personal wealth fell by $1.2 billion.
Celebrated conservatives, the brothers also maintain huge political influence and regularly spend hundreds of millions on political campaigns with their huge donor network.
David had two encounters with death. He survived the 1991 plane crash that killed everyone else in first class, and also won the battle against prostate cancer. He has become one of the world's most generous benefactors since then, donating more than $1.2 billion to medicine.
7. TIE: Charles Koch 
Net worth: $47.9 billion USA
Age: 81
Country: USA
Industry: Diversified investments
How He Got Rich: Koch Industries
Charles Koch is the chairman and CEO of the diversified conglomerate Koch Industries, the second largest private company in America. His younger brother David is the executive vice president. The company employs 120,000 people and generates $100 billion in annual revenue from its diverse holdings that do everything from petrochemicals and Dixie cups to clothing materials.
The Koch brothers, with a total net worth of $95.8 billion. United States, stands for a world of conservative politics and public policy, advocate for a smaller government, and regularly fund political campaigns.
6. Carlos Slim Helu 
Net worth: $50.7 billion USA
Age: 77
Gender: Male
Industry: Telecom
How He Got Rich: Grupo Carso
The richest man in Mexico owns over 200 companies in his country through a conglomerate called Grupo Carso - also known as Slimlandia. The son of Lebanese-Mexican entrepreneurs, Carlos Slim Helu, gained control of his father's retail and real estate businesses after his death. After earning a degree in civil engineering, Slim built a diversified portfolio during the 1960s, 70s and 80s that now dominates the Mexican economy.
Grupo Carso has acquired the state-owned telephone company Telmex, which now owns 80% of telephone lines in Mexico. In 2008, Slim bought a 6.4% stake in The New York Times for $127 million. He has since increased his ownership to 17%, worth about $391 million thanks to the revival of The Times.
Slim still has aspirations to grow his empire, which includes interests in the financial, industrial, telecommunications and media sectors, especially in his home country, where he invested $4 billion in 2015. However, over the past year, his capital has decreased by $1 billion.
5. Mark Zuckerberg 
Net worth: $58.5 billion USA
Age: 32
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
Source of wealth: facebook
In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, a 19-year-old sophomore at Harvard, launched TheFacebook.com, a rudimentary version of the now ubiquitous social network known as Facebook. Zuckerberg left college to work full-time as the CEO of Facebook, and the site quickly took off. Today, it attracts over a billion users daily and is worth nearly $400 billion. At 32, Zuckerberg is the youngest of the 50 richest people in the world. His wealth increased by $11.1 billion. USA last year.
In December 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged to give away 99% of their wealth over the course of their lives through an organization called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, although some critics noted that the organization itself is not a non-profit charity.
But this isn't the couple's first foray into philanthropy. They donated $25 million to the fight against Ebola in 2015, and they gave $100 million worth of Facebook shares to improve New Jersey's public school system.
4. Amancio Ortega 
Net worth: $68.5 billion USA
Age: 80
Country: Spain
Industry: retail
How He Got Rich: Inditex
Amancio Ortega is the fourth richest person in the world thanks to his control of the Spanish fashion giant Inditex, which Ortega started working as a delivery boy for a local clothing store at 14 and transformed from a small town clothing store to one of the biggest fashion empires. on the planet. However, Ortega's wealth fell by $800 million last year.
Despite Ortega's vast wealth, he lives modestly. The billionaire still eats lunch with his employees at the company canteen, and although he is the richest man in the fashion industry, he sticks to the simple uniform of a white shirt and blue blazer.
3. Jeff Bezos 
Net worth: $73.1 billion USA
Age: 53
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
Source of wealth: amazon.com
Jeff Bezos made his huge fortune introducing e-commerce to the world. After spending time in Wall Street Finance, Bezos founded Amazon.com in the garage of his Seattle home in 1994 and sold books exclusively. The company went public three years later and has since traded everything from furniture to food to Amazon's own electronics, which generated $136 billion in revenue in 2016.
Bezos also has interests outside of Amazon, including investments in private space company Blue Origin, which successfully launched its first spacecraft in 2015, and The Washington Post, a newspaper he bought in 2013.
Bezos' wealth increased by $21.9 billion last year.
2. Warren Buffett 
Net worth: $77.2 billion USA
Age: 86
Country: USA
Industry: Diversified investments
How He Got Rich: Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett began his amazing investing career at a young age. As a child, he delivered newspapers on his bike, and by the age of 11, the Nebraska native bought his first shares on the stock market—Cities Service Preferred at $38 a share—and sold them for a $5 profit. He was not accepted into Harvard Business School, so Buffett went to Columbia Business School and studied there. Buffett worked as an analyst valuable papers in the early 1950s before starting his own investment firm. He bought the Berkshire Hathaway textile company in 1969, turning it into a holding company.
The investments that made him rich may seem random - he bet on companies: Coca-Cola, American Express, Geico, Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen and General Motors all generate cash that have long-term value. Last year, his net worth increased by $13.1 billion. USA.
A modest man with a love for junk food, Buffett has donated more than $25 billion to charitable causes. He is intimately familiar with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, with whom he collaborated to create The Promise Maker, the billionaires' promise to give back at least half of his wealth to charity.
1. Bill Gates 
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett speak to journalist Charlie Rose at an event hosted by Columbia Business School on January 27, 2017 in New York City.
Net worth: $85.2 billion USA
Age: 61
Country: USA
Industry: Technology
How He Got Rich: Microsoft
In just 20 years, Bill Gates founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. In the months leading up to his 31st birthday, the company took off, making Gates a billionaire. He was the CEO of Software until 2000 and was its chairman and largest shareholder until 2014. Although still with the company, Gates is no longer actively involved with Microsoft.
Gates is not only the richest man in the world - his net worth increased by $10.6 billion in the last year alone - but he is also the most generous. Since 1999, Gates and his wife have led the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the most influential philanthropic foundations in the world. The fund, which controls over $40 billion, aims to lift millions of people out of poverty, with a focus on eliminating HIV, malaria and other infectious diseases. The pair are also working on a plan to mobilize mobile banking for the 2 billion adults who don't have a bank account.
He is also the co-founder of the Giving Pledge, which he started in 2010 with good friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett as a pledge to donate 50% or more of his fortunes. Currently, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are among the 156 members of the Giving Pledge.
As you know, America is a country of great opportunities for doing or expanding various businesses. It goes without saying that in this case one should have certain skills and human qualities, which in total allow one to reach a fairly high material level. It is no secret that the vast majority of billionaires in the world are precisely the inhabitants of the New World. In this article, we will find out who the richest people in America are, what they own and how they came to their success.
richest family
According to Forbes, the Walton dynasty is the richest in the United States. Her fortune is estimated at a simply unthinkable amount - $ 130 billion. The business was founded in 1962 by brothers James and Sam. Both have long gone to another world, and today their brainchild is being developed by their heirs, of whom there are six people. In fact, the team's activities are based on the total control of the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart.
Koch Industries
Charles Koch is another richest man in America. This entrepreneur and philanthropist was born on November 1, 1935 in the United States. He has a brother named David Koch, with whom they inherited from their dad a very large business based on the production of gasoline. Today, the corporation run by Charles Koch, in addition to chemical and oil industry, pays close attention to the production of various polymers, the implementation of many environmental programs and even cattle breeding. The brothers' business capital is approximately $115 billion, of which David Koch owns $42.9 billion.
Former Mayor of New York
Michael Bloomberg, born on February 14, 1942 in Brighton, today is not only one of the richest people on our planet. From January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2013, he headed the New York City Hall. Like many of the richest people in America, the businessman is a native of a Jewish family and has a prestigious education (Michael Bloomberg graduated and owns one of the world's leading news agencies - Bloomberg. The empire of this prominent American consists of many television channels, radio stations and a worldwide computer network of financial news. At the heart of Michael's success is his ability to think progressively and quickly.It was he who first came up with the idea of combining up-to-date quotes of exchanges occurring in real time with detailed analytics. Such a service allowed Bloomberg to become a kind of monopolist in the information field in the financial sector.
As mayor of New York City, Michael set himself a salary of one dollar a year and completely abandoned public housing, using only his business income. As of 2016, Bloomberg's net worth was approximately $40 billion.
Young billionaire
Relatively recently, the list of billionaires was replenished by a native of the suburbs of New York. This outstanding polyglot and programmer was born in 1984 and already at the age of twelve he created his first ZuckNet program, which made it possible to communicate over a local network to all his relatives and friends. After school, Mark was educated in an elite educational institution Phillips Exeter Academy. Mark Zuckerberg's financial fortune has increased many times after he developed a social network called Facebook. Initially, it was intended to expand communication opportunities for Harvard students, but the network began to grow rapidly, and at a certain stage, the young American realized that it was urgent to invest a lot of money in this promising project in all respects. Therefore, he dropped out of high school and invested all his savings in his offspring. After some time, Mark was able to attract wealthy investors, who contributed to bringing the social network to the international level. As of February 2016, Mark Zuckerberg's fortune was in the range of $50 billion. At the same time, the young man does not lead a party lifestyle, does not flaunt his wealth and lives happily with his wife, whom he has known since his student years, and brings up a little daughter named Max.
Mars dynasty
The Mars Confectionery Company was founded in 1911 by Forrest Mars Sr. In our time, it is managed by three heirs of the founder of the corporation. By the way, today trademark produces not only sweets, but also pet food such as Pedigree and Whiskas. The scale of production of the company's products inspires respect. Only one candy called M&M's in the United States produces about 400 million pieces daily. As for the state of the family, in 2016 it was approximately $ 78 billion.
Owner of the world's largest online store
American Jeff Bezos is another example of the ability to quickly navigate the trends and draw the right conclusions in the struggle for success.
Jeff was born on January 12, 1964 in Albuquerque, USA. After receiving an excellent education at Princeton University, the future billionaire began work at Fitel, which specialized in developing high-quality stock trading software. But already in 1994, Jeff got acquainted with an analytical forecast for an increase in sales via the Internet and realized in which direction he should work. Since 2000, the American has allocated part of his finances to a project called Blue Origin, which is to launch spacecraft into low Earth orbit.
In 2013, the businessman bought out one of the most famous publishing houses - The Washington Post. Jeff spent $250 million on this acquisition.
Today, Jeff Bezos is the founder and owner of what is known as Amazon. The billionaire adheres to the thesis “the client is always right”, and in relation to his subordinates he is demanding, one might even say, picky. As of early 2017, Bezos has a net worth of $71.2 billion.
Head of Oracle Corporation
Lawrence Ellison is a prominent American entrepreneur who is well known for his charisma, impulsiveness and extravagance. At the same time, one cannot fail to note his significant contribution to the development of modern software.
The future billionaire was born in August 1944 in the Bronx. Experiencing adolescence, Lawrence was extremely obstinate and independent, which is why he often argued with his adoptive father, who considered him an absolute loser and a complete fool, incapable of anything in life. After school, Larry became a student at the University of Illinois, which he never graduated from. After some time, he again becomes a student, but at the University of Chicago, where he was expelled already in his first year of study.
But still the guy was destined to become successful. He had the ability to fully absorb new information and quickly became a programmer. And in the 1970s, he became the founder of the Oracle company, which exists to this day and brings billions in profits to its owner. Even then, the richest people in America understood that computer technology was the future, and therefore Ellison had many competitors, such as SAP and Microsoft. This led to the fact that in the 1990s the American company was on the verge of complete bankruptcy. However, he did not lose heart and took rather radical steps: he fired many of his managers, and he himself took the place of a programmer, improving applications for managing databases.
At the same time, Larry was very demanding of his subordinates. In his corporation, all departments competed with each other, rivalry between staff was encouraged, and the pace of work was such that the vice president of the company married the girl he met, because he clearly understood that he would have no time to look for another lady of the heart if he broke up with this.
Confrontation with competitors
Oracle's main business rival is Microsoft Corporation. Moreover, their confrontation even reached a personal level. So, for example, Larry flew his plane over the Gates house on a strafing flight and often criticized his opponent, accusing him of incompetence. Nevertheless, Ellison was never able to get around Gates in the ranking of rich people, even taking into account the fact that he won a lawsuit against him and received $ 5 billion for this.
The world's largest investor
As of February 2017, his fortune is estimated at 65.5 billion dollars, he is nicknamed the Seer for his ability to perfectly calculate various situations and material investments in advance.
The billionaire was born in Nebraska in 1930 and already at the age of thirteen filed his first tax return. The American's first major financial achievement was $10,000, made possible by installing slot machines in hairdressing salons. Warren's business is based on Berkshire Hathaway, which he acquired in 1965.
Buffett was educated within the walls under the guidance of Benjamin Graham. In his strategy, Warren adheres to the principle of long-term investment, that is, holding a share in a company, in his opinion, should last at least 10 years. The businessman is known for his generosity towards charitable foundations. In the summer of 2010, he donated 50% of his finances to five such institutions. This act is still considered the most generous display of charity on the planet in the entire history of the existence of our human race.
Buffett had some pretty serious health problems. In the spring of 2012, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but the disease was detected at an early stage, and the timely course of radiotherapy saved the billionaire from imminent death.
richest man in the world 2015
Bill Gates (USA) from 1996 to 2007, as well as in 2009 and 2015, was officially recognized as the richest person on earth. This man was born in 1955 and became famous not only for his wealth, but also for calling on other billionaires to give half of their fortunes to charity.
Surprisingly, the future computer genius was expelled from the university literally two years after the start of his studies at it. Gates' main business partner is his friend Paul Allen, who in their tandem initially dealt exclusively with technical issues. Bill himself took over the negotiation processes, communication with clients and signing contracts. In 1976, the now well-known company Microsoft was created by young Americans, in which 64% of the shares belonged to Gates.
By the way, despite the reputation of a very adequate and calm person, during his life Bill was arrested three times for driving without documents and while intoxicated.
Some facts about the billionaire
To date, Gates has completely removed his authority as the head of the corporation, but at the same time is the largest holder of its shares. Also, the billionaire is quite modest in Everyday life and dress very casually. However, his dwelling is a high-tech building that impresses visitors with its technical highlights.
Gates loves books and reads 50 of them a year. A fly, Eristalis gatesi, was also named after him. In addition, the American owns the largest island of the Republic of Belize.
Forbes rating
According to the respected print publication Forbes, at the beginning of 2017, the list of billionaires. In it, the main American billionaires are ranked relative to each other in terms of their wealth. The list looks like this:
- Bill Gates.
- Warren Buffett.
- Jeff Bezos.
- Mark Zuckerberg.
- Larry Ellison.
- David Koh.
- Koch Charles.
- Michael Bloomberg.
- Larry Page.
- Jim Walton.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to note that the richest people in America are not only well-educated, but also purposeful, mature, independent individuals in all respects, who were not afraid at the right time to challenge both the society around them and themselves, overcoming the a variety of fears and self-doubt. Many of them are hereditary billionaires thanks to their ancestors, but the ability not only to preserve capital, but also to increase it makes them respect these businessmen and appreciate their business qualities.
Bill Gates, who is worth an estimated $79.2 billion, is in the lead for the 16th time since 1995. A notable newcomer is Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, who launched an Alibaba IPO in September that raised his net worth by 127%. His two fellow citizens Wang Jianling and Li Heijun also made the list for the first time. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who in his 30s managed to make a fortune of $33.3 billion, became the youngest member, and the richest woman is Christy Walton, a Wal-Mart heiress, with a fortune of $41.7 billion.
Jim Walton
$160.8 billion the combined fortune of the four heirs of the Wal-Mart chain, which is 10% of the total fortune of all participants in the ranking of the top 50 richest people in the world.
Bernard Arnault
60
brands are part of the world famous conglomerate LVMH, including such as Louis Vuitton, Moët, Fendi, Tag Heuer.
Forrest Mars J.
33%
that's how much the Mars family's fortune has grown over the past year, increasing it to $79.8 billion. The company owns such well-known chocolate brands as Twix, Snickers, M&M's, and others.
Lee Shawki
By 3.2% Real estate rent in Hong Kong has risen in price in 2014. Over the past year, Lee Shauki's fortune has grown by 26.5%.
Lee Heijun
67%
China's market share in solar cell production. According to Li, his company is the largest manufacturer of thin batteries.
Dilip Shangvi
$4.3 billion was the combined income of Sun Pharmaceuticals and Ranbaxy in 2014, which Shangvi acquired in December. New company became the largest manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals in Asia.
asian sensation
The US, home to 536 billionaires, has for many years been the leader in the growth of the rich. However, over the past 10 years (since 2006), 205 billionaires from China have been added to the list, thanks to which the championship has passed to the Celestial Empire. India is also performing well, with 90 billionaires to its credit, and for the first time this year has surpassed Russia in the number of defendants.
The life of the rich has always aroused interest. How these people managed to make such large fortunes, how much they earn, what they invest in and what they spend their money on. Recently, a certain trend has emerged among the owners of the largest monetary fortunes. The highest positions in the ranking of the richest people in the world in 2018 were occupied by talented entrepreneurs and businessmen who achieved their wealth on their own, and did not inherit it.
10. Larry Ellison
Born in New York, raised in a family of foster parents. At a young age, Larry showed a talent for programming. In this discipline, he not only quickly mastered new knowledge, but also put forward his own bold ideas. Working for a small company, Amtex, Larry developed a very user-friendly, reliable and feature-rich database. And in the 70s of the last century, with the former head of the company, Robert Miner, he founded the company - Oracle, which grew into a giant corporation in ten years. Ellison's fortune is now estimated at $58.5 billion. He owns an Italian Marchetti fighter jet, several huge luxury yachts, his own island, Lanai, in Hawaii, and numerous posh houses and estates.
9. David Koch
The name of David Koch, one of the most influential businessmen modernity, politician and philanthropist, is associated with the name of his brother Charles and the company Koch Industries, founded by their father. From the inheritance received, the brothers created one of the most powerful concerns in the world, many times exceeding its initial capital. Now the state of David Koch is estimated at 60 billion dollars. He is actively involved in political life, financially supports various scientific research, education and the arts, and also allocates significant funds to charity. On the this moment David Koch lives in New York City in Manhattan. He also owns a luxurious mansion in Aspen (Colorado), where thousands of guests come to receive a hospitable host.
8. Charles Koch
David's older brother, owner and CEO Koch Industries Corporation. Having inherited his father's business with his brother, and then expanding it thousands of times compared to the initial indicators, he is one of the richest people in the world with a fortune of 60 billion dollars. Charles has written several books detailing his own business strategy and is also active in various charitable causes. In particular, he founded a foundation to support the economic, social and humanitarian branches of science, naming it after himself. The businessman is also actively involved in the political life of the country. Being one of the richest people on the planet, Charles Koch leads a relatively modest lifestyle that does not correspond to his high social status.
7. Carlos Slim Elu
A Mexican businessman with Lebanese roots, who managed to enter the top ranking of the richest people on the planet. Carlos received his business acumen and talent for doing business from his father, having earned his first million at the age of 17. Now his fortune, based on the communications industry, is estimated at 67.1 billion dollars. Thanks to Slim's policy, more than 30 million new subscribers have gained access to mobile communications. The billionaire's house is located in the most prestigious area of Mexico. However, his main real estate, several luxurious mansions and high-rise buildings are located in the United States. The businessman is actively involved in charity, donating significant amounts to fight poverty and educational programs for kids.
6. Amancio Ortega
A Spanish entrepreneur who founded the largest company Inditex, which owns nearly 7,000 stores located in more than 80 countries around the world. He has made major investments in real estate in America and Europe, the gas industry and the tourism industry. The life of Amancio Ortega is a vivid example of how one can achieve outstanding results with one's own talent, hard work and perseverance. Coming from a working-class family, the future billionaire began his career at the age of 13 as a messenger in a clothing store. Currently, the businessman's fortune is estimated at 70 billion dollars. He owns a skyscraper in Madrid, several luxury hotels, a 54-story condominium in Miami, an ultra-long range jet, a luxury yacht, and a stake in the Spanish Football League.
5. Mark Zuckerberg
American businessman, creator of the popular social network Facebook and at the same time the head of Facebook Ink. In the list of the first richest people on the planet, he is the youngest representative. And in 2010, the popular American magazine "Time" recognized Zuckenberg as the person of the year. Mark discovered his extraordinary programming abilities back in his school years. Today, his fortune is an impressive figure - more than 70 billion dollars. The businessman is a member of many charitable foundations, as well as the Giving Oath group. All members of this philanthropic organization undertake to donate half of their income to charitable causes. He owns several houses and townhouses, as well as a beach on one of the Hawaiian Islands. A businessman does not put wealth at the forefront, considering his main task to help people.
4. Bernard Arnault
The name of this talented person is closely associated with fashion and luxury. Having created a huge empire Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which controls the famous fashion brands Kenzo, Celine, Givenchy, Berluti, Loewe, Guerlain and others, the Fred jewelry company, as well as several elite alcohol brands, Bernard Arno is not only the wealthiest person in France and Europe, but also one of the richest people on the planet. His fortune is estimated at 72 billion dollars. However, he is not going to stop there and is actively buying up new shares of companies. The billionaire also owns several media outlets of his own. He is involved in philanthropy, supporting talent in the arts and business. The Arno family owns a unique collection of Renaissance paintings.
3. Warren Buffett
The largest American businessman and one of the most influential people in the world, whose total fortune has exceeded a fantastic mark - 84 billion dollars. The main part of the businessman's income is a stake in the Berkshire Hathaway holding company. Entrepreneurs donate huge sums of money earned to help people. In 2010, he donated $37 billion of his wealth to charitable foundations, becoming the biggest benefactor in human history. In ordinary life and everyday life, Buffett is modest and unassuming. He still lives in an old two-story house, bought back in 1957, and dresses in ordinary stores. The billionaire avoids luxury. His only expensive hobby is jet planes.
2. Bill Gates
The name of the legendary founder of Microsoft, largest company in the world of software production, as well as the developer of the Windows operating system, is known to everyone. For many years, it was he who headed the list of the richest people on the planet. Gates is currently worth over $93 billion. His estate on the shores of Lake Washington, consisting of three interconnected pavilions, with a swimming pool and a trout lake, is equipped with a huge amount of modern technology. No wonder many contemporaries call it the “House of the Future”. The billionaire donates huge sums to charity. Together with his wife, they organized a charitable foundation aimed at the development of education, medicine and the fight against poverty, to which they donated more than 28 billion.
1. Jeff Bezos
The list of the richest people on the planet this year was headed by the founder of the Internet company Amazon Jeff Bezos with an incredible figure of $ 131 billion! Such an impressive success of the American entrepreneur is due to the rapid growth of the shares of the company he manages, which last year rose in price by 60% at once. Recently, the wealthiest person on the planet admitted that it is much more difficult for him to spend money than to earn it. Bezos owns five luxurious mansions in several states, three luxury apartments in New York, The Washington Post daily, and a private space company with plans to develop space tourism in the near future. The businessman and his wife donate tens of millions of dollars to scientific research.
