The richest people in America have in common a surprising quantity. To begin with, they’re all guys who operate mostly in tech. And nearly all of them produced their fortunes by setting up their own businesses and keeping ownership as they soared for achievement, including Microsoft and Facebook. Indeed, seven of “America’s 10 richest” men are among the ‘world’s 10 richest people in America as well.
A few quirks are also shared by these American billionaires: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle founder Larry Ellison dropped off college. Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergey Brin all came to schools in Montessori where kids are encouraged to think separately and creatively instead of following traditional guidelines. It also seems that billionaires like Hawaii’s houses.
As with America’s richest women, Richest people in America individuals donate a lot of cash to cause them to care. Some of the males on this list have donated hundreds of millions to research aimed at improving the lifespan of humans and eradicating hazardous illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Warren Buffett, Gates, Zuckerberg, and Ellison went a step further and promised to give away their fortunes as part of The Giving Pledge, an initiative designed by Buffett and Gates to encourage billionaires to embellish their vast wealth with philanthropy.
Here’s all you need to know about America’s richest people.
List Of 10 Richest People In America
2. Bill Gates
Industry: Tech
Net worth: $93.3 billion
Bill Gates is an iconic businessman who co-founded Microsoft’s 1975 software company. After dropping out of Harvard, Gates produced his fortune mainly through his business shares.
He grew up in Seattle and met in high school with his future business partner, Paul Allen, with whom he founded Microsoft. The two became obsessed with computers and, while still in school, they even created their first venture, a traffic data system.
After Microsoft became public in 1986, Gates became a millionaire at the age of 31. He became renowned for his dedication to philanthropy in the 21st century, and in 2000 he founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with his wife, Melinda. The Gates Foundation, the world’s biggest private charity, is aimed at solving worldwide issues such as world hunger and empowering individuals in disadvantaged societies.
Gates now lives in the same neighborhood in Medina, Wash. as Jeff Bezos. In 2005, he was a TIME person of the year and in 2016, Barack Obama won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
