Tuesday, September 30, 2014
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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gestures during the keynote address of the Build Conference in San Francisco. Microsoft plans to offer a glimpse of its vision for Windows today as Nadella seeks to redefine the company and recover from missteps with its flagship operating system.
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates topped Forbes’ latest list of the 400 richest Americans for the 21st-straight year.
The list, released Monday, was largely unchanged for 2014 and showed the rich getting richer. The combined wealth of those on the list rose 13 percent to $2.29 trillion, helped by a stronger U.S. stock market.
Gates’ net worth totaled $81 billion, up $9 billion from 2013.
Investor Warren Buffett, the head of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., remained in second place at $67 billion. Oracle Corp. co-founder Larry Ellison also kept his No. 3 spot with $50 billion.
Brothers Charles and David Koch, co-owners of Koch Industries Inc., stay tied for fourth with $42 billion each.
There were 27 new members of the list, including WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum in the 62nd spot. Facebook announced plans to buy the mobile messaging app for $19 billion in February.
The biggest gainer is Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, No. 11, whose net worth grew $15 billion since last year to $34 billion.
The net worth of America’s wealthiest people has risen in the years since the financial crisis, widening the gap between the exceptionally well-to-do and the rest of the country.
The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member is $5.7 billion, up from $5 billion last year.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
Christy Walton & family, $38 billion
Jim Walton, $36 billion
Michael Bloomberg, $35 billion
Alice Walton, $34.9 billion
S. Robson Walton, $34.8 billion.