Facebook IPO to catapult Zuckerberg up the ranks of tech billionaires

Here’s a look at the tech moguls who made Forbes magazines’s list of the world’s billionaires in 2011. Eleven of the top 100 wealthiest people on earth come from the tech industry. Some are familiar names; others you probably haven’t heard of.

5 Seconds

00:00

Bill Gates

Forbes estimates the philanthropist and former Microsoft chairman's net worth is $56 billion, making him the second-richest person in the world. He ranks first among those whose fortune comes from the tech industry.

Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

Larry Ellison

Forbes estimates the Oracle chief executive's net worth is $39.5 billion. That makes him the world’s fifth-richest person.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Sergey Brin and Larry Page

Forbes estimates that the Google co-founders are each worth about $19.8 billion. That means they are tied for the 24th spot on the billionaires list.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Jeff Bezos

Forbes estimates the chairman and chief executive of Amazon has a net worth of $18.1 billion. That figure makes him the 30th richest person on the list.

Mark Lennihan / AP

Azim Premji

The Indian software executive's net worth is an estimated $16.8 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 36th on the billionaires list.

Aijaz Rahi / AP

Michael Dell

Forbes estimates that the chairman and founder of Dell is worth $14.6 billion. That makes him the 44th wealthiest person in the world.

Ahn Young-joon / AP

Steve Ballmer

The Microsoft chief executive's net worth is an estimated $14.5 billion, according to Forbes. He is the 46th richest person on the list.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Mark Zuckerberg

Forbes estimates the founder and chief executive of Facebook has a net worth of $13.5 billion. That makes him the world's 52nd richest person.

Eric Risberg / AP

Paul Allen

The Microsoft co-founder is worth an estimated $13 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 57th on the Forbes list.

Elaine Thompson / AP

Robin Li

The chief executive of Baidu is worth an estimated $9.4 billion, according to Forbes. That makes him the world's 94th richest person.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Steve Jobs

Though the former Apple chief executive died in October, he was included on the most recent installment of the Forbes rankings, which were published last March. Jobs's net worth was estimated at $8.3 billion, a figure that ranked him 110th richest.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Eric Schmidt

Forbes estimates the executive chairman of Google has a net worth of $7 billion. He ties for the 136th position on the list.

Jean-Christophe Bott / AP

Hasso Plattner

The co-founder of German software company SAP is worth an estimated $6.9 billion, according to Forbes. That puts him in the 141st position on the list.

Bernd Kammerer / AP

Jim Goodnight

The CEO of SAS, left, has an estimated net worth of $6.9 billion, according to Forbes. This means he ties with Plattner for the 141st richest person.

Wong Maye-E / AP

Cher Wang

The founder and chairman of HTC-VIA has an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion, according to Forbes. That makes her the world's 143rd richest person.

Peter Dejong / AP

Terry Gou

An executive at electronics contractor Hon Hai Precision, Gou's net worth is estimated at $5.7 billion by Forbes. He is ranked 179th on the list.

Kin Cheung / AP

Gordon Moore

The Intel co-founder's estimated net worth is $4 billion, according to Forbes. That puts him in the 268th slot on Forbes's list.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Ross Perot

The chairman emeritus of Perot Systems is worth about $3.4 billion, according to Forbes. He ties with 12 others for the 323rd position in the rankings.

Allison V. Smith / AP

John Doerr

The venture capitalist has a net worth of $2.3 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 540th on the billionaires list.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

Mike Lazaridis

The co-founder of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) has an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 651st on the list.

Jeff Chiu / AP

Jim Balsillie

Another executive at Research In Motion, Balsillie has an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 692nd on the list.

Lindy Keast Rodman / AP

Vinod Khosla

Forbes estimates the venture capitalist's net worth is $1.3 billion. He is ranked 879th on the list.

Bernadette Tuazon / AP

Thomas Siebel

The software executive is worth about $1.8 billion, according to Forbes. That puts him in the 736th position on the list.

John Todd / AP

Sean Parker

Forbes estimates the Napster co-founder is worth $2.1 billion. He is ranked 782nd on the list.

Paul Sakuma / AP

David Duffield

The founder of PeopleSoft is worth an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes. He is ranked 938th on the list.

/ AP

Steve Case

Forbes estimates the AOL founder and venture capitalist is worth $1.3 billion. He is tied for the 938th position on the list.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Meg Whitman

The former eBay executive and current leader of Hewlett-Packard is worth an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes. She is tied with Case, Duffield and others for the 938th position on the list.

Paul Sancya / AP

Jerry Yang and David Filo

The Yahoo co-founders are each worth an estimated $1.1 billion, according to Forbes. They are tied for the list's 939th ranking.

Paul Sakuma / AP

Featured Photo Galleries

Pranav Sivakumar, 12, of Tower Lakes, Ill., spells his word during the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md.

National Spelling Bee, Buckingham Palace garden party, the ‘Soup Nazi’ and more in the day in photos

National Spelling Bee, Buckingham Palace garden party, the “Soup Nazi” and more.

U.S. actress and director Angelina Jolie speaks ahead of a screening of her new film 'In the Land of Blood and Honey' at the Foreign Commonwealth Office in central London, May 29, 2012. Angelina Jolie spoke on the Foreign Secretary's initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, ahead of the screening. REUTERS/Pool/Dan Kitwood

Eye on entertainment

Angelina Jolie, will.i.am, Larry Thomas, Nick Jonas, Adam Lambert, Bob Dylan and other celebrities.

Editor’s choice: Reader-submitted photos

Some of the Post’s top picks of snapshots taken and submitted by readers.

Novelist Toni Morrison laughs with U.S. President Barack Obama before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. The Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Toni Morrison; Barack Obama

Obama Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients

President Obama honored a diverse group of political and cultural icons.

Switzerland's Roger Federer returns the ball to Romania's Adrian Ungur during their second round match in the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler)

French Open 2012: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Victoria Azarenka advance to third round

The American tennis star lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event.

Camels rest at a watering hole outside the town of Aleg May 25, 2012. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MAURITANIA - Tags: ANIMALS SOCIETY)

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more in animal views

Camels, tigers, turtles, a giant stag beetle and more.

Henry, a calf, sustained a head wound and required stitches after being slashed over the weekend.

Farm animals attacked in Fairfax

A calf, two goats and a chicken were slashed over the weekend at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon.

ANNAPOLIS, MD- MAY 29: Graduates cheer as the Blue Angels fly over during the 100th anniversary of the United States Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremonies in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. U.S Sec. of Defense Leon Edward Panetta gave the graduation address. (Photo by Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)

U.S. Naval Academy graduation

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave the commencement address at the ceremony.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Comments

Add your comment

The Washington Post commenting system will be disabled for several hours while system upgrades are made. User will be unable to leave comments during this time.

If you have any problems accessing Washington Post content during this time, please email our Interactivity department at comments@washpost.com.

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.