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Technology’s Richest Leaders

It’s President’s Day in the United States – just one day after Uganda’s President Museveni was declared winner of the presidential election for the fourth time – which got us thinking about great leaders. Being PC Tech Magazine – covering and reviewing technology – of course we’re thinking about tech leaders. Tech leaders may not wield the political power of, say, a president, but they do have their own kind of power, influencing the lives of billions. Like many U.S. presidents, many heads of tech companies had humble beginnings. After all, the start of the personal computer revolution really took place in garages and meeting halls. But now, many of these same folks have amassed billions of dollars while working in the technology industry.

byPC Tech

February 21, 2011

Unlike holding presidential office, once someone hits the top in technology, there are no term limits and there’s no minimum age requirement. Some of the richest, tech commanders in chief are part of a second revolution that centered on the Internet, which means they’re still quite young (although the “old guard” is far from ancient).

So who are the richest leaders in technology? Be prepared to see some familiar faces, such as our old pals Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. After all, amassing a fortune doesn’t happen overnight, unless you’re someone like a certain social networking service co-founder. Below is a list that was compiled by PCMag.

Bill Gates: $54 Billion

Gates Bill The co-founder of Microsoft and Harvard drop-out is still the richest man in the world. While he is no longer CEO of Microsoft, he remains chairman of the company. In his spare time, Gates is trying to save the world with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Larry Ellison: $27 Billion

Lary Ellison The second drop-out on this list is Oracle’s CEO and co-founder, Larry Ellison. He may not be as well known as others on this list because Oracle operates in the enterprise market and not really in the consumer world. Ellison was one of the first champions of networked computing using thin clients, which is very similar to today’s “cloud computing.”
Photo Credit: Oracle Corporate Communications

Larry Page & Sergey Brin: $15 Billion each

Lary_Page_Brin Who would have thought that creating the world’s greatest search engine would lead to boatloads of cash for Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin? Both are only 37 years of age and make a case for education since they were schoolmates at Stanford University and both graduated.

Michael Dell: $14 Billion

Michael_Dell The man who revolutionized computer building by employing the just-in-time method is another college drop-out. Michael Dell, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Dell Inc., decided to sell computers directly without the need for retail, which made him a fortune.

Steve Ballmer: $13.1 Billion

Steve_Ballmer The current CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer is the public face of the company. Whether yelling “Developers!” or explaining the latest advances from Microsoft, when Ballmer talks, people listen. He has the dollar sign to prove it.