French heiress, socialite, businesswoman and philanthropist, Liliane Bettencourt has a net worth of $42.3 billion in August 2017, according to Bloomberg. Bettencourt is currently the richest woman in Europe. The only child of the founder of L’Oréal, Eugene Schueller, she inherited the L’Oréal fortune when her father died, becoming the principal shareholder of L’Oréal in 1957. One of the world’s largest cosmetics and beauty companies, L’Oréal has over 66,620 employees worldwide. She had her fortune placed under the guardianship of her daughter Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers in 2011 following a very public 3-year legal battle. She was forced to resign from L’Oréal’s board in February 2012; her 25-year-old grandson Jean- Victor Meyers took her seat. This is the latest in a long line of court cases pitting the Bettencourts against each other. In 2008, Bettencourt-Meyers petitioned the courts to investigate a reported $1 billion in cash and gifts her mother allegedly gave to Francois-Marie Banier, a well-known photographer, writer and painter whom she befriended. As a philanthropist her family foundation, la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller have support and develop medical, cultural and humanitarian projects with an annual budget of £160 million.

American businessman, philanthropist, political activist, and chemical engineer, David Hamilton Koch, had a net worth of $50.5 billion at the time of his death. He was best known as co-owner (with older brother Charles), and an executive vice president of Koch Industries, a conglomerate that is the second-largest privately held company by revenue (with more than $100 billion in sales) in the United States according to a 2010 Forbes survey. Koch was the second-richest resident of New York City in 2010. David and his brothers Charles, Frederick, and William inherited Koch Industries from their father after his death. Their father, Fred C. Koch (d. 1967), invented the method of turning heavy oil into gasoline. Today the company, in which David had 42% stakes which have now passed to his wife Julia Flescher Koch, has investments in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology.

American heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune, Alice Louise Walton, has a net worth of $52.3 billion in November 2019. She is the daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and Helen Walton, and sister of S. Robson Walton and Jim Walton. Another brother, John T. Walton, died in a 2005 plane crash. She is building Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. While Wal-Mart’s shares are nearly flat over 2010, the 3 children of the founder collected $1.2 billion in dividends. His father, a former clerk, Sam Walton (d.1992) founded Bentonville store with brother James 1962; today Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion, employs more than 2.1 million people. An avid horse-lover, Walton currently lives in Mineral Wells, Texas on the Rocking W Ranch.

Best recognized as the founder of the retailing company IKEA, Swedish business magnate and billionaire Ingvar Kamprad has an estimated net worth of $52.8 billion in January 2018.

Steve Ballmer is an American businessman and the chief executive of Microsoft, has a net worth of $53.3 billion in November 2019. The Detroit native dropped out of Stanford M.B.A. program to join Harvard classmate Bill Gates in 1980 as employee number 30. The first business manager hired by Gates. He dumped 18% of his shares in November 2010, his biggest sale ever and first in seven years. Bill Gates’ college mate dismisses it’s a move to the exits, saying he’s “fully committed” to Microsoft, where he’s been boss since 2000. In that time Microsoft has lost half of its value while profits have doubled. Analysts put the breakup value of the company up to three times current stock price. The software sales juggernaut has sold 350 million copies of Office and 400 million copies of Windows 7

American businessman, CEO and the Chairman of his family’s Arvest Bank, James Carr Walton, has a net worth of $53.3 billion in November 2019. Jim runs family’s Arvest bank, which has branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. His father, Sam Walton (d. 1992), a former clerk, founded a Bentonville store now Wal-mart with his brother James in 1962. Today, Wal-Mart has sales of $405 billion and employs more than 2.1 million people across 28 countries. Jim Walton received over $300 million in dividend payouts. He also serves as chairman of Community Publishers, which operates newspapers in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. He is married to Lynne McNabb Walton and has four children, including Alice Anne Walton and Thomas Layton Walton. The family resides in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The eldest son of Helen Walton and Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, Samuel Robson “Rob” Walton has a net worth of $53.5 billion in November 2019.

Charles Koch is an American businessman, Chairman, and CEO of Koch Industries, the largest conglomerate in the United States not listed in the stock market. The company is based in Wichita, Kansas, and operates in chemicals, refining, energy, pipelines, commodities trading, electronics, and software, among others. Koch owns 42% of the firm and he has an estimated net worth ranging from $46.4 billion to $62 billion as of March 2021.

Indian business magnate, Mukesh Ambani, has an estimated net worth of $57 billion in November 2019. Despite dropping from the list of top ten richest people in the world after losing $4.7 billion, Mukesh Ambani is still the richest Indian in the world. He is the chairman and managing director of the one of India’s largest conglomerate, Reliance Industries Limited.

Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and the founder and CEO of the financial data-services and media company Bloomberg L.P. He owns 88% of the firm and has an estimated net worth of $59 billion as of March 2021.