#1 William Henry Gates III
09.21.06, 10:00 AM ET
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© Matthew Peyton/Getty Images
Net Worth $53.0 billion  | Source Microsoft (quote: MSFT), Software, Self made
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| Age 50 Marital Status Married, 3 children | Hometown Medina, WA, United States
Education Harvard University, Drop Out |
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In June Microsoft's visionary announced his retirement from company he cofounded 31 years ago. Ray Ozzie, a former foe at Lotus, will assume some of Gates' future-seeing duties when he finally steps aside in 2008. The Harvard dropout who promised "a computer on every desk and in every home" is now focusing time and talents on tackling diseases (hepatitis B, AIDS, malaria) in Africa, boosting America's lackluster high school graduation rate and helping women abroad start small businesses. This summer bridge buddy Warren Buffett pledged $31 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation over the next 20 years, potentially doubling foundation's endowment. Sells 20 million Microsoft shares a quarter, plows proceeds into personal investment vehicle Cascade. Today more than half of net worth invested outside Microsoft. MSFT flat over past year despite $30 billion in stock buybacks since 2004; $36 billion more planned. Company pushing beyond PCs into television set-top boxes, games, cell phones. Upcoming Windows operating system, Vista, due early 2007 after repeated delays.
Distribution of the Forbes 400 by U.S. State
Diameter of disc reflects size of fortune. The red disc indicates William Henry Gates III
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