THE TOP 20

摘要

Gates remains atop The Forbes 400, a perch he's held since 1994, despite giving away $28 billion, most of it to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In April bolstered his foundation's efforts to eradicate polio, securing $335 million in pledges from 6 billionaire comrades, including $100 million each from Mexico's Carlos Slim and Mike Bloomberg (see). Shares of Microsoft jumped in late August on news that Steve Ballmer (see) will step down as CEO; Gates will remain chairman of the software company he cofounded in 1975 with Paul Allen (see). Microsoft represents less than a fifth of his fortune. Gates' investment firm, Cascade, owns chunks of tractormaker Deere & Co., Canadian National Railway and Mexican Coke bottler Femsa.