Google Founders Join Forbes’ Growing List of Billionaires

“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and the founders of Internet search engine company Google Inc. have landed on Forbes magazine’s annual list of billionaires after rallying stocks and a strong euro last year swelled the list to the longest it’s ever been.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates remains perched atop the list for the 10th straight year, but investor Warren E. Buffett is nipping at his heels. Gates’ net worth is estimated at $46.6 billion, less than half the peak of $100 billion it reached in 1998 but up 14% from the $40.7 billion Forbes attributed to him in 2003.

Buffett wins the bragging rights for reaping the greatest gains of the year. He increased his net worth by $12.4 billion, to $42.9 billion, significantly narrowing the gap between him and Gates.

There are 56 billionaires who returned to the list after dropping off it in the previous few years, including Yahoo Inc. founders David Filo ($2.2 billion) and Jerry Yang ($1.9 billion).

Their upstart search engine rivals, Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page ($1 billion each), are making their debut on the list. Other newcomers include Rowling ($1 billion), the Canadian founder of Cirque du Soleil Inc., Guy Laliberte ($1.1 billion); and Michael Ying ($1.8 billion) of Hong Kong, chairman of clothing company Esprit Holdings Ltd.

German supermarket magnate Karl Albrecht remains in third place overall, with a fortune of $23 billion. Close behind are Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose $21.5-billion nest egg puts him just ahead of Microsoft’s other co-founder, Paul Allen, who comes in fifth with $21 billion.

Rounding out the top 10 are Helen Walton, wife of late Wal-Mart Stores Inc. founder Sam Walton, and four members of her family. They are tied for sixth, with each worth about $20 billion.

The magazine counted 587 billionaires worldwide, up from 476 in 2003. Their total net worth jumped to $1.9 trillion from the $1.4 trillion the magazine reported in 2003.

As usual, older married men dominated the Forbes list, which includes only 53 women and 24 single people. The average billionaire’s age is 64, and only 27 are under 40.

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The 10 richest people in California

* Lawrence Ellison, 59,

$18.7 billion, Oracle Corp.

* Sumner Redstone, 80,

$8.9 billion, Viacom Inc.

* Kirk Kerkorian, 86,

$6 billion, investments

* Eli Broad, 70,

$5.8 billion, home building, financial services

* Gordon Moore, 75,

$5.5 billion, Intel Corp.

* Marvin Davis, 78,

$4.9 billion, investments

* Donald Bren, 71,

$4 billion, real estate

* David Geffen, 61,

$4 billion, music

* Charles Schwab, 66,

$3.6 billion, Schwab Corp.

* Riley Bechtel, 51,

$3.2 billion, engineering, construction

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Source: Forbes

Los Angeles Times