Microsoft chief software architect Bill Gates is still
the world’s richest man, according to Forbes’ list of billionaires,
with a $50bn (£29bn) fortune.
This wedge grew by $3.5bn last year, said Forbes.
Gates’ closest technology rival in the list is fellow Microsoft
founder Paul Allen, who moved up the list from number seven to
number six, with a $22bn stack.
Gates’ next nearest rival in the technology fortune stakes is
Dell chairman Michael Dell, who had a $17.1bn fortune in 2005, and
who climbed up the list from number 18 to 12.
Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison is at number 15 with $16bn,
and Google double act Sergey Brin and Larry Page are 26 and 27
respectively, on $12.9bn and $12.8bn.
NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Indian outsourcer Infosys, is
number 645 with $1.2bn billion.
Forbes' complete list of billionaires can be found at:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/03/07/06billionaires_worlds-richest-people_land.html