Created computer industry's marquee event, Comdex, mid-1980s sold show to Japan's Softbank for $862 million 1995. Studied voice in teens, later dropped out of City College in New York City to become court reporter. Gift was valued at $31 billion on day of announcement donation will far exceed that sum so long as Berkshire shares continue to rise.Ĭabdriver's son borrowed $200 from uncle to sell newspapers at age 12. Last summer irrevocably earmarked the majority of his Berkshire shares to charity, mostly to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Of Omaha had long promised to give away his fortune posthumously.

Longtime critic of efforts to repeal estate tax says wealth should not pass exclusively to members of 'lucky sperm club.' The Last year bought Israeli cutting-tool business Iscar and electronic components distributor TTI. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, General Re), jewelry (Borsheim's), utilities ( Took over textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction for bicycle. Son of Nebraska politician delivered newspapers as a boy. Berkshire shares up 24% over past 12 months have averaged 21.4% annual return since 1965. Nation's most beloved investor is $6 billion richer this year despite handing over $2.1 billion in Days as world's richest man may be over Mexican Carlos Slim Helú also worth $59 billion.Ĭlick Here for Billionaires You've Never Heard Of Early goal: put 'a computer on every desk and in every home.' Soon more than 1 billion computers will run Windows. Believes Microsoft's far-flung bets, including 10-year affair with Internet-based television, may soon pay off says next 10 years will be the 'most interesting' in software history. 's turf (and vice versa) spent $6 billion to land Web ad firm Aquantive in May. Company's new operating system, Vista, debuted in January to mixed reviews shares up 12% in past year. more than half of net worth now outside of Microsoft. Sells 20 million Microsoft shares every quarter, proceeds going to private investment vehicle

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation manages $33 billion, donates to causes aimed at bringing financial tools to the poor, speeding up the development of vaccines (for AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis), bettering America's lagging high schools. Visionary preparing to give up day-to-day involvement in company he cofounded 32 years ago to spend more time focused on his philanthropic endeavors.

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