richest-self-made-billionaires
January 2016
1. Bill Gates
Net worth: $87.4 billion
Age: 60
Country: US
Industry: Tech
Source of
wealth: Self-made; Microsoft
At just
20, Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft with his childhood
friend Paul Allen. Months before his 31st birthday, the company went public,
making Gates a billionaire. He served as CEO of the software titan until 2000
and was its chairman and largest
shareholder until 2014. Though he still sits on the company's board,
Gates — whose net worth sits a league above the rest at $87.4 billion — is no
longer actively involved in Microsoft.
Gates is
not only the richest man in the world, but he's also the most generous.
Since 1999, Gates and his wife have helmed the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, one of the most powerful charities in the world. The foundation —
which controls an endowment of more than $40
billion — aims to lift millions of people out of poverty, with
a heavy focus on eliminating HIV, malaria, and other infectious diseases. The
couple is also working on a plan to bring
mobile banking to the
2 billion adults who don't have a
bank account. Plus, Gates recently invested
alongside Jeff Bezos in
Grail, the company that's creating a blood test to detect every form of cancer.
He's also
co-founder of the Giving Pledge, which he launched in
2010 with good friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett as a promise to
donate 50% or more of their fortunes. The Giving
Pledge now counts
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk among its 137 members.
Ref: Business
insider
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