Bill Gates bumped off the top spot
Pile of cash shrinking
BILL GATES has been the richest American on the Forbes 400 list for 15 years - well not any more, as this crown has been handed over to none other than insurance and jewellery flogger Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett.
Bloomberg announced the sad news alongside a recalculation of the list which is to be published later this month.
Bloomberg reports in its next edition the effect of the financial crisis on the wealthiest Americans list - showing how Microsoft's net worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion from August 29 to October 1 this year.
However, the Berkshire Hathaway chairman added the tidy sum of $8 billion to his net worth during the same 33-day period totaling $58 billion.
This is a big change for Mr Gates, as he has held the number one spot on the Forbes list for 15 years in a row, but he has retired now. µ
L'Inq
I4U News
Comments
No info, just attitude
Again, so very small of you.I'm sure he could still be on top if he weren't giving away his money. And Microsoft's market cap is more than 203 billion, even though it has dropped in recent weeks. (I guess it is news to you, but MS has more than one shareholders.)
I wouldn't want to guess whether Bill's or Warren's portfolio has dropped more in recent weeks.
So what ??
Gates is retired now so it is natural not being the richerst man in the planet anymore.I do not understand the importance of this article. Is it to ridicule Gates ??
Are you jealous of Gates that he was the richest man for 15 years ??
Just grow up and give us some real useful news next time instead of worthless gossip and your personal paranoia..,
the real number one and two...
I think you'll find that if you add the wealth of every named person in the Forbes 400 list, it'll still be considerably less than the net worth of the Rockerfeller and De Rothschilds dynasties, who hold the REAL number 1 and 2 positions in the "wealthiest names on planet Earth" list.I thought
The Mexican telecom guy Carlos Slim took the spot last year?Wrong...
In reality Bill's crown was taken last year by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, everybody knows that.I for one
I for one respect Mr. Gates. Not only does Microsoft tax the stupid people, if it's software would work as it should, I'd be out of my job. Thank you Microsoft!Yet, it's incredible
that Mr. Gates accumulated such a fortune selling software, much of it mediocre like MS-PC/DOS, Bob, and Windows ME I and II. Previous commenter made good point that the Gates and Buffett estates have not yet been distributed. Otherwise the Waltons of Arkansas would still be in the running. I once heard a guest on a radio talk show claim that he had once been the bookkeeper for a major drug importer. At the time, Gates was supposedly worth about US$20B. The bookkeeper stated that his former employer's net worth when he worked for him was about US$85B, much of it held in the form of real estate, and most of that in midwest farmland. The bookkeeper presumed that the drug importer's fortune was then even greater as it had then been several years since the bookkeeper had been dismissed, without prejudice apparently, after the drug importer's daughter tired of him.FYI: Richest American...
...=! Richest man in the world list which that Mexican tops...Who Cares?
Bill Gates has retired and he is actually using the money to help the sickest and deprived. So I admire him for thatDonations
Posted by "No news here":"I'm sure he could still be on top if he weren't giving away his money."
Take a look at Warren Buffet's letter which pledges billions to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! Doh!
Carlos Slim
The problem with Carlos Slim is that he is probably one of the biggest crooks around. He has a monopoly in mexico and doesn't spread the wealth like Gates does. I think Carlos owns Sears and CompUSA (which I think just closed down).. anyway, I try not to shop anywhere I know he is associated with.The thing about top spots...
> I thought The Mexican telecom guy Carlos Slim took the spot last year?Have you ever seen a horse (or people's, or dog's, or car's) race? Haven't you noticed how the contestants constantly change places? They last of the pack may finish first, etc.
Different publications publish the list at different times of the year. Some measure the "race" in real time. Additionally, there are different ways to count money and other assets. When the dollar fell respect to the euro a while back Ingvar Kamprad -the owner of Ikea- became the richest, according to some calculations.
Oracle's Ellison has surpassed Gates when Microsoft's stock went down for a while.
Well, you get the point...
Is Bill Gates Mexican, now?
> Wrong...> In reality Bill's crown was taken last year by Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, everybody knows that.
The headline reads: "The richest *American*"
Carlos Slim's nationality is Mexican.
American
Mexicans are American too, knobend