Bill Gates, co-owner of Microsoft, is the richest man in the world once again, and he has a very recent stock surge to thank.
According to Bloomberg, this is the first time he’s held this title since 2007. His fortune is currently worth $72.1 billion, giving him the lead, and being ahead of Carlos Slim (Mexico) by about $550 million. And since Microsoft’s shares got a boost this year, Gates fortune has jumped by 10% in 2013. The company’s stock price hit a five-year high quite recently. But, Carlos Slim’s fortune on the other hand, has fallen by $2 billion this year. Apparently, Mexico’s Congress passed a telecom bill (that threatens monopoly), which is going to make it hard for Slim’s company, America Movil SAB, to retain it’s top position.
Along with all their wealth, Bill and Melinda Gates are also known for their charity work. They’ve more than $28 billion to charity, and they’re already planning to give 95% of their fortune away, someday. Microsoft’s stock got the boost even though it’s latest OS, Windows 8, didn’t have the expected sales. And not in a good way. But Gates said that he expects the OS to build momentum over time, and that iPad owners are frustrated by the lack of a keyboard and Microsoft Office functionality.