# Who will be the world's richest person after Bill Gates isn't? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310 "2003-12-01T18:56:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/1 "2003-12-01T18:56:44Z")
Bill Gates has been the world’s richest person for almost a decade now. That can’t last forever – eventually either Gates will take a tumble or someone will accumulate even more wealth than he’s got. When do you think that’s going to happen? And how – Gates’ fortunes falling, or someone else’s rising? I’m talking realistic scenarios, not wishful “Microsoft will fall” thinking. And do you have any guesses on who the world’s next richest person (not next-richest person, mind you) is going to be? ---
**Author:** ![Anal\_Scurvy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anal\_Scurvy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anal_Scurvy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/2 "2003-12-01T18:58:06Z")
Didn’t the guy who owns Wal-Mart officially become richer than Gates within the last few years? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/3 "2003-12-01T18:58:16Z")
Does he have a kid to inherit it all? Would he be willing to adopt _me_? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/4 "2003-12-01T19:11:15Z")
I thought the sultan of Brunei was always #1 ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/5 "2003-12-01T19:20:41Z")
Bill and Melinda Gates have three children – Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe. The eldest was born in 1996. So, sorry **Bosda** , it looks like you’re out ‘o’ luck. As for the OP: when my plans for world domination come to fruition, Gates will be the first to fall! Bwa haha haha! ---
**Author:** ![vsquist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/58956e/32.png) [@vsquist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vsquist)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/6 "2003-12-01T19:28:47Z")
I didn’t want to reveal it quite yet, but I am the love child of Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey. Someday I will be at the top of the list! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/7 "2003-12-01T19:29:55Z")
As of Forbes’s last World’s Richest People issue (Feb. 2003), Warren Buffet was #2. I don’t even see the Sultan of Brunei in the top 10. In any case, Bill has been #1 for some years now. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/8 "2003-12-01T19:42:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anal Scurvy \* > \*\*Didn’t the guy who owns Wal-Mart officially become richer than Gates within the last few years? \*\* Sam Walton, were he still alive, would be the richest man on earth. But the family fortune is now split amongst the heirs, with no individual topping Bill Gates. Specifically, the [Forbes 400](http://www.forbes.com/2003/02/26/billionaireland.html) pegs Gates at $40.7 billion, and five Waltons each at $16.5 billion. By the way, Sam Walton died in 1992, so “within the last few years” wouldn’t quite apply. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/9 "2003-12-01T19:55:41Z")
Ah, I’m out of date. It seems the Sultan was down to a mere $16 billion in 2000, putting him in the top 15. And Now he doesn’t even seem to be in the top 400. But he was on top until Gates surpassed him in 98. ---
**Author:** ![Nichol\_storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Nichol\_storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nichol_storm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/10 "2003-12-01T22:04:42Z")
Maybe if one of Buffett’s children can marry one of Gates’ children, thusly combining the family fortunes. Of course, they’d have to eliminate any other heirs in a purge reminiscent of those royal families used to do periodically. Then they can buy the world and turn it into one giant golf-course. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-will-be-the-worlds-richest-person-after-bill-gates-isnt/216310/11 "2003-12-01T23:06:02Z")
Hasn’t Gates stated that he plans to give most of his $$ to charity when he goes? IIRC he has said that he plans to give his kids nice sums, but not billions, and will give the rest to charity.