The richest people in the world have a astonishing amount of wealth — comparing to the GDP of developing or small countries. A lot of these rich guys , like Microsoft founder Bill Gates or Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg are self-made and have an idea that they turned into a billion-dollar fortune. For others, like the Koch brothers of Koch Industries, their businesses were inherited, but their control of the company led to overwhelming amounts of wealth.
Many billionaires donate a sizably voluminous percentage of their money to charity. In fact, several of the world’s richest have made “The Giving Pledge,” which betokens they have vowed to give away at least half of their wealth to charity
According to Forbes, We have more than 2,000 billionaires in the world, and that number is only expected to grow. Based on recent estimates from Forbes, the world’s richest people range from tech CEOs to heiresses to expert investors. Read on to find out how and why these people got so rich.
1.Jeff Bezos
The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos overtake Bill Gates in July to become not only the world’s richest man, but the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of $90.6 billion.
This has been a big year for Amazon, and in turn Bezos, which bought Whole Foods on June 16, 2017, and also had a record-breaking Amazon Prime Day.
Bezos, who bought The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, owns about 17% of Amazon.com, which is part of what buoyed him to the world’s richest man. Amazon’s stocks surged ahead of the online retail giant’s quarterly earnings report, adding at least $1 billion to Bezo’s overall net worth.
The 53-year-old CEO of Amazon is responsible for the growth of online shopping and e-commerce, launched the retail giant in 1994 after leaving his New York hedge fund job. Initially an online book retailer operated out of Bezos’s garage in Seattle, Amazon.com grew to become the world’s largest online shopping retailer, now worth over $430 billion, according to CNBC.
Bezos’s parents, Jackie and Mike Bezos, operate the Bezos Family Foundation, which supports youth education.
Industry: Technology
Net worth: $90.6 billion
2. Bill Gates
The 61-year-old became Microsoft’s CEO until 2000, and was the company’s chairman and largest shareholder until 2014. He is still a member of the board and serves as a technology adviser for the company.
Gates and his wife, Melinda, are the co- chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is the world’s largest private charity. The foundation was launched in 1999, It focuses on ending infectious diseases around the world, including HIV and malaria.
Outside of Microsoft, Gates is a public figure who, along with Warren Buffett and Mark Zuckerberg, founded “The Giving Pledge” to encourage other billionaires to donate a hefty amount of their wealth to charity. His charitable foundation focuses on health and development issues across the world.
An influential figure, He also releases a list of his favorite books each year.
Industry: Technology
Net worth: $90 billion
3. Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega, 81, is a Spanish billionaire best known for founding Inditex fashion group, which includes Zara clothing stores. The richest man in Europe, Ortega co-founded Inditex in 1975 with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera, who passed away in 2013.
Ortega, is the wealthiest retailer in the world and owns 59% of Inditex, which operates 7,000 stores worldwide. He stepped down as chairman of the company in 2011.
His approach to his company’s success can be attributed to two factors: speed and customers. Oretga’s “fast fashion” philosophy included refreshing the stock at Zara stores twice a week, According to CNBC. Instead of focusing on what’s in at fashion shows, the company follows bloggers and customers for what they’re wearing to inform what is sold, Fortune reported.
Unlike other billionaires, Ortega has stayed out of the public eye. In fact, no photograph of him was ever published until 1999.
Industry: Retail
Net worth: $83.2 billion
4. Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett is an iconic figure and investment genius who bought his first stock when he was just 11 years old and filed his first taxes at age 13. Nicknamed the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett owns more than 60 companies.
One of the world’s best investors, Warren is also known for his cheap spending habits. In the recently released HBO documentary Becoming Warren Buffett, the 86-year-old billionaire said he typically pays under $4 for breakfast from McDonald’s each morning.
Like his peers, Buffett is a philanthropist and has vowed to give away 99% of his wealth.
Industry: Finance and investments
Net worth: $74.3 billion
5. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg was only a sophomore at Harvard University when he created the first version of Facebook in 2004. The social media powerhouse, which first began on college campuses, now has more than 1.2 billion users and dozens of offices located around the world. The company is now worth $400 billion.
Zuckerberg, the youngest of the world’s top billionaires at 33, is the chairman and CEO of Facebook in addition to being its co-founder. The 2011 award-winning film The Social Network was based off of Zuckerberg’s founding of Facebook while in school, and the subsequent drama that came as a result.
Like other billionaires, Zuckerberg is a philanthropist who has donated millions to charitable causes. He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have pledged to donate 99% of their wealth through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Industry: Technology
Net worth: $72.2 billion
