Meet the 10 Richest Men in the World
Every year around this time, reports surface letting society know about the current state of [...]
Every year around this time, reports surface letting society know about the current state of capitalism.
While many in the world are working to make ends meet, some entrepreneurs around the world are making fortunes working in everything from the rise of cryptocurrencies to the world of fashion.
Every year, Forbes releases a survey of the richest human beings alive, 2,208 people overall in 2018. But the top 10 of that list will be filled with names you probably know.
Scroll through to see the 10 richest men in the world, according to Forbes.
1. JEFF BEZOS ($112 BILLION)
Amazon's chief is the first person to top $100 billion, placing him at the top of the list of millionaires.
He owns 16 percent of Amazon, which he founded in a garage in Seattle in 1994. His other passion is space travel: His aerospace company Blue Origin is developing a reusable rocket that Bezos claims will carry passengers.
He purchased The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million.
2. Bill Gates ($90 billion)
Gates and his wife Melinda chair the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private charitable foundation, which works to save lives and improve global health — specifically working to end polio.
He has sold much of his Microsoft stake, now owning just over one percent of shares. He remains a board member of the company, which he founded with Paul Allen in 1975.
prevnext3. Warren Buffett ($84 billion)
Down as the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. He runs Berkshire Hathaway, which owns companies like Geico, Duracell and Dairy Queen.
He has given nearly $32 billion to charity and committed to giving more than 99 percent of his fortune in the future. Along with Bill Gates, he launched The Giving Pledge in 2010, asking billionaires to donate half their wealth to charity.
prevnext4. Bernard Arnault and his family ($72 million)
Arnault oversees 70 brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
An arts patron, he is responsible for the $135 million Foundation Louis Vuitton museum in Paris' Bois de Boulogne, which opened in 2014.
prevnext5. Mark Zuckerberg ($71 billion)
The Facebook CEO's net worth blew up as the social network's stock continued to climb. The Harvard dropout founded the social media site in 2004 at the age of 19.
He and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have pledged to give away 99 percent of their Facebook stake throughout their lifetime.
prevnext6. Amancio Ortega ($70 billion)
One of the richest men in Europe and the wealthiest retailer in the world. He co-founded Inditex, best known for the Zara fashion chain, with his ex-wife Rosalia Mera.
He typically earns more than $100 million in dividend a year, which he invests into real estate in Madrid, Barcelona, London, Chicago, Miami and New York.
prevnext7. Carlos Slim Helu and his family ($67.1 billion)
Mexico's richest man, Helu, and his family control America Movil, Latin America's biggest mobile telecom firm.
He also owns stakes in Mexican construction, consumer goods, mining and real estate companies, as well as 17 percent of The New York Times.
prevnext8. Charles Koch ($60 billion) [tie]
Koch has been Chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, since 1967. The conglomerate has $100 billion in revenues from businesses including pipelines, chemicals, Dixie cups, Brawny paper towels and Stainmaster carpets.
He has funded many think tanks, including the libertarian Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute.
He owns a 42 percent stake in the firm, as does his brother David.
prevnext9. David Koch ($60 billion) [tie]
David Koch also shares majority control of Koch industries. He lives in New York City and oversees Koch's chemical technology group.
A known philanthropist, David is a donor to New York's Lincoln Center and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He also ran as the Libertarian Party's vice presidential candidate in 1980 on a ticket with Ed Clark, winning 1 percent of the vote.
prevnext10. Larry Ellison ($58.5 billion)
Ellison co-founded software firm Oracle in 1977. He gave up the CEO role in 2014 but still serves as chairman of the board and chief technology officer.
In 2016, Ellison pledged to give $200 million to the University of Southern California for a cancer treatment center.
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