21 Richest Billionaires In The World
"You can never become rich unless you like rich people."
However you feel about the capitalist/socialist divide, the achievement of individuals who rise from relative poverty to amassing jaw-dropping fortunes through the sheer force of their own genius is entirely admirable. They might not pay as many taxes as some might want them to, and it might be somewhat distasteful that the majority of the world's wealth sits in the bank and share accounts of a small minority of people, but they deserve credit for their financial achievements.
Looking through the list of this year's wealthiest people, the value of good inventions and smart investment choices are clear, and indeed that if you're going to have an idea, you should probably try and make sure it's one that could potentially shape the world of technology. Plainly, massive brands mean massive money, and while cynicism dictates that such vast amounts of money are sneered at, most of the cream of the financial achievers give away a stunning amount of money to charity.
Here's to the most powerful money men and women in the world, now let's all band together and make a company that combines online retail, social media, search engines and make-up and skin products. Because that's the billion dollar future...
21. Bill Gates
Rating: $81.2 Billion
The most famous technology magnate in the world might not be chairman of Microsoft anymore, but he retains a major advisory role in the company.
Incredibly, Gates more than doubled his personal fortune between 2009 and 2014.