The Forbes Billionaires list for 2009 is here. Bill Gates has reclaimed his position at the top dethroning Warren Buffet who had edged him from his perch in 2008. Recession however has hit the mega rich in a big way and the combined worth of the top 20 billionaires in 2009 is around $416 billion. The figure is way low than the combined wealth stats of the top 20 super rich for the year 2008. The drop in wealth is a natural fallout of the recession. Bill Gates lost $18 billion, Warren Buffet lost $25 billion, Mark Zuckerberg lost $600 million and got knocked off the billionaires list. He’s now just a multi-millionaire.
Give it a thought, imagine losing $18 billion and still coming out the richest man on the planet, phew!! The biggest loser though was India’s Anil Ambani who lost a staggering $32 billion as the Indian stock market went into freefall and the rupee fell 18% against the dollar.
So bad has the recession been that of the 1,125 billionaires in 2008 only 793 remain. The combined worth has seen a dip of $2 trillion and a mere 44 billionaires added to their wealth. I think you need a lot of heart, a special liver, a sturdy gall bladder and nerves of steel to lose more money that in a year that most men will not make in a lifetime and still carry on. Apparently money ceases to be a key motivation when you cross a certain threshold.
Comments
madroxxx
March 12th, 2009 - 11:11:50 AM
life's tough at the top
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