LeaderBoard
11. (TIE) CHARLES KOCH $50.5 BILLION Q U.S.
since 2013, his 79-year-old Kansas conglomerate, Koch Industries, says it has invested $17 billion in tech companies, including 3-Dprinting unicorn Desktop Metal.
2. BILL GATES $96.5 BILLION U.S.
the world’s second-richest person, who has given away some $35.8 billion to date, has said he and other wealthy americans should pay higher taxes, including a larger estate tax.
11. (TIE) DAVID KOCH $50.5 BILLION Q U.S.
a prostate-cancer survivor, Koch retired from the $110 billion (sales) Koch Industries in july, citing his health. he and his brother charles share an 84% stake in the family business.
3. WARREN BUFFETT $82.5 BILLION Q U.S.
the Berkshire hathaway chief says he has no plans to sell Kraft heinz, one of his largest public holdings, despite a $15.4 billion writedown that caused its stock to fall 27% in one day last month.
13. MUKESH AMBANI $50 BILLION INDIA
In December, ambani spent a reported $100 million on an over-the-top wedding to celebrate his daughter Isha’s marriage to the son of fellow Indian billionaire ajay Piramal.
4. BERNARD ARNAULT $76 BILLION FRANCE
spending by chinese consumers rose in 2018, especially on lVMh’s louis Vuitton and hennessy brands. arnault’s lVMh delivered record sales and profits, boosting his wealth by $4 billion.
14. SERGEY BRIN $49.8 BILLION U.S.
Brin is president of alphabet, parent company of Google and healthcare subsidiary Verily, which recently announced plans for an opioid-addiction treatment center in Dayton, ohio.
5. CARLOS SLIM HELU $64 BILLION Q MEXICO
after 11 years, slim sold the last of his shares in the new york times co. in january, logging a tidy profit. his largest holding is latin american telecom firm américa Móvil.
15. FRANCOISE BETTENCOURT MEYERS $49.3 BILLION FRANCE
the granddaughter of l’oréal’s founder is $7.1 billion wealthier since last year, thanks to the makeup giant’s highest sales growth in more than a decade.
6. AMANCIO ORTEGA $62.7 BILLION Q SPAIN
shares of his fashion outfit Inditex slipped 7.5% over the past year. that and a weaker euro erased about $9 billion from his fortune. still, he pocketed $1.2 billion in dividends after taxes.
16. JIM WALTON $44.6 BILLION Q U.S.
the second youngest of the late Walmart founder sam Walton’s four children runs the family’s arvest Bank, which is based in fayetteville, arkansas, and has more than $18 billion in assets.
7. LARRY ELLISON $62.5 BILLION U.S.
In December, the oracle cofounder joined tesla’s board. the next month, a filing disclosed that he owns $900 million worth of shares in the electric-car maker.
17. ALICE WALTON $44.4 BILLION Q U.S.
sam Walton’s only daughter founded and chairs the crystal Bridges Museum of american art in Walmart’s hometown, Bentonville, arkansas. the museum opened its doors in 2011.
8. MARK ZUCKERBERG $62.3 BILLION Q U.S.
facebook’s reputation took a beating in 2018, but most of the $8.7 billion drop in his net worth was due to gifts and sales of his social-media firm’s shares.
18. ROB WALTON $44.3 BILLION Q U.S.
the former Walmart chairman, the founder’s oldest son, is on the board of the retailer, which has introduced shelf-scanning robots and plans to test a selfdriving car to deliver groceries.
9. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG $55.5 BILLION U.S.
the former new york city mayor plans to spend at least $500 million trying to defeat President trump in 2020, regardless of whether he runs for the presidency himself.
19. STEVE BALLMER $41.2 BILLION U.S.
the ex-Microsoft ceo still has his roughly 4% stake in the company. smart decision: Its stock is up 20% in the past year. his nonpartisan initiative usafacts, meanwhile, tracks government spending and activity.
10. LARRY PAGE $50.8 BILLION U.S.
the Google cofounder was the only high-profile tech executive to refuse an invitation to attend a senate Intelligence committee hearing on election security.
20. MA HUATENG $38.8 BILLION Q CHINA
his internet media giant spun out its music-streaming subsidiary, tencent Music, in December, raising nearly $1.1 billion via an initial public offering on the new york stock exchange.