Forbes - Gates wins again...

  06/23/2001 1:06:44 AM MDT Albuquerque, Nm
  By Dustin D. Brand; Owner AMO


For the SEVENTH year in a row, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world.
  Forbes found 538 billionaires from 46 countries with an average net worth of $3.2 billion. 46 percent of them saw their fortunes increase, while 37 percent watched them decline. Bill Gates may have lost some, but he still has a huge lead.

  Most distictivly, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison dropped two spots on Forbes Magazine's list of the richest people in the world as his net worth fell from $47 billion last year to $26 billion this year, cut nearly in half. I wonder if he's going to get a card from Bill his arch-rival for all his bad talk against Microsoft and Bill this last year?

  Microsoft co-founder and Cheif Software Architect Bill Gates is worth $58.7 billion, down a mere $1.3 billion from last year. Ellison is now the world's fourth richest man. His loss, due to the sharp fall of Oracle stock, placed Paul Allen, the other Microsoft co-founder, in third place with $30.4 billion, up from $28 billion in 2000. The world's second richest man, investor Warren Buffet with $32.3 billion, last year took fourth place with $25.6 billion after Gates, Ellison and Allen (in order of net worth).