The 10 Richest People in America
The richest people in America have a surprising amount in common.
For starters, they’re all men who mostly work in tech. And almost all of them made their fortunes by starting their own companies and maintaining ownership as they soared to success, including Microsoft and Facebook. In fact, seven of the 10 richest men in America are also among the 10 richest people in the world.
These American billionaires also share a few quirks: Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle founder Larry Ellison dropped out of college. Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Sergey Brin all went to Montessori schools, where children are encouraged to think independently and creatively rather than following traditional rules. It seems, too, that billionaires really like houses in Hawaii.
As is the case with the richest women in America, the richest people in America donate a lot of money to causes they care about. Some of the men on this list have donated hundreds of millions into research designed to improve human lifespan and eradicate dangerous diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Warren Buffett, Gates, Zuckerberg, and Ellison have gone a step further and promised to give their fortunes away as part of The Giving Pledge, an initiative designed by Buffett and Gates to encourage billionaires to funnel their vast wealth to philanthropy.
Here’s everything else you need to know about the richest people in America.