Unit 30

Meet the Ten Richest People in the World in 2000 (I)

10. Michael Dell

Age: 34. Nationality: American. Marital Status: Married. Children: 4. Worth: $16.5 Billion.

Just barely squeezing in at number ten is the youngest of all of our billionaires, the young pup who founded Dell Computers. Mike dropped out of University of Texas at 19, and started selling PC s by mail order. The day his former classmates were graduating, his sales had already hit $70 million a year. Today he sells $2 million a day, and has passed IBM in annual sales. The bastard.

9. Phillip F. Anschutz

Age: 59. Nationality: American. Marital Status: Married. Children: 3. Worth: $16.5 Billion.

Phil the kind of guy whose father was a rich oil billionaire, but decided he didn't like the family business. Phil preferred real estate and railroads. Rather than just being born lucky, Anschutz is a savvy businessman. He has interests in fiber optics companies, huge cattle ranches, and lots of downtown Denver real estate interests. But let's face it: the biggest chunk was inherited.

8. Amir Jaber Al-Ahamed Al-Jaber Alsabah

Age: 77. Nationality: Kuwaiti. Worth: $17 Billion.

The man's money is in oil, investments, property, and the sweat of his people. And this is just what's left over since we kicked Saddam Hussein out of the neighborhood. Imagine the filthy stinking riches that he had prior to the burning of thousands of his oil wells. This is why we recommend Microsoft or oil baron as the best way to becoming a billionaire. You're born, you inherit oil fields, you live the easy life in the Middle East... you just can't beat it.

7. Steven Anthony Ballmer

Age: 43. Nationality: American. Marital status: Married. Children: 2. Worth: $19.5 Billion.

Steven actually lived down the hall from Bill Gates at Harvard, and is now the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mr. Bill's little venture. Many revere im for the supposed monopoly Microsoft Corp. now holds, because of his perseverance and amazing business know-how.

6. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Age: 66. Nationality: Abu Dhabian. Worth: $20 Billon.

Sheikh Zayed's home country of Abu Dhabi has grown over the last half century into one of the richest in the United Arab Emirates. Educated by local clerics and later by wandering tribesmen in the desert, the Sheikh's defining achievement has been the management of supply and distribution of water. This is an important thing in the desert, so you can imagine he is quite popular there.