2007-07-23 18:47:49 · 16 answers · asked by bernard m 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim has taken the crown with a net worth of $67.8 billion, according to estimates by a respected financial news site in Mexico, as reported by multiple news services.
The main reason: a 27 percent surge in the stock price of Slim's wireless company, America Movil, in the second quarter.
At a Microsoft conference in Redmond last year, advertising executive and TV host Donny Deutsch asked Gates if he would be upset if someday he were no longer the world's richest man.
"I wish I wasn't," Gates replied. "There's nothing good that comes out of that."
"It's better than being second," Deutsch said.
"No," Gates replied. "You get more visibility as a result of it."
Slim's new standing might not be considered official until the next publication of Forbes' ranking of the world's richest people.
On this spring's Forbes list, Slim was just behind investor Warren Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, who had been second on the list for years.
In April, after the publication of the official 2007 list, Forbes reported that Slim had surpassed Buffett to become the world's second-richest man. At the time, Forbes reported that Slim was "breathtakingly close" to passing Gates for the No. 1 spot. Gates' estimated worth was $56 billion at the time.
For the latest estimate of Slim's worth, Reuters quoted financial tracker Eduardo Garcia, from Sentido Comun, an online financial publication in Mexico. Garcia estimates that Gates is currently worth $59.2 billion.
2007-07-23 18:50:20 · answer #1 · answered by lag_time2 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The World's Top 10 Billionaires
Edited by Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass
03.08.07, 6:00 PM ET
From Forbes.com
The Top 10
1. William Gates III
2. Warren Buffett
3. Carlos Slim Helú
4. Ingvar Kamprad
5. Lakshmi Mittal
6. Sheldon Adelson
7. Bernard Arnault
8. Amancio Ortega
9. Li Ka-shing
10. David Thomson
2007-07-24 02:19:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Bill gates may be the richest, but the owner of Ikea is toppling Gates business.
2007-07-24 04:12:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
the all time richest person in the world is John D. Rockefeller with $189 billion
2007-07-25 16:37:50 · answer #4 · answered by luvkitties 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, it should be Bill Gates, but according to Wikipedia, it might be a Mexican billionaire, Carlos Slim. At any rate, the Bill Gates story is inspiring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
2007-07-24 02:01:01 · answer #5 · answered by Kittenpaw 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, it's not Bill Gates any longer. His name is Carlos Slim.
2007-07-24 09:19:29 · answer #6 · answered by Shortstuff13 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know how true this is, but it use to be Bill Gates until some guy bought his company. Like I said, not to sure of the story...
2007-07-24 01:51:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Bill Gates
2007-07-24 01:50:36 · answer #8 · answered by Chloe 6 · 1⤊ 4⤋
What happened to the Sultan of Brunei?
2007-07-24 02:13:47 · answer #9 · answered by Yoshi 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Bill Gates of Microsoft fame!
2007-07-24 01:50:15 · answer #10 · answered by swanjarvi 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋