Bill Gates heeft titel 'rijkste man of the globe' verloren

Het is gisteren een zware dag geweest voor Bill Gates, eerst hoort hij dat het Justice Department de opsplitsing van Microsoft aanbeveelt en daarna verliest hij zijn titel 'rijkste man van deze aardkloot'. Larry ellison de CEO van Oracle heeft deze titel ingepikt nadat een lading opsplit geruchten de koers van Microsoft een eind naar beneden hadden gehaald :

Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison--Gates’ longtime nemesis in the ego-driven technology industry--now holds the top spot. Based on the closing prices of Oracle and Microsoft stock, Ellison is worth $53 billion, compared to Gates’ $51.75 billion.

Although Ellison has topped Gates, at least temporarily, it's not accurate to call him the world's richest person just yet. Just as Ellison's wealth has soared in the past year, it's possible that another captain of industry, billionaire investor or foreign prince has also seen a surge in his or her net worth.

The duel between Ellison, a polished Silicon Valley celebrity, and Gates, a halting technophile who lives on a secluded island near Seattle, is one of the most acrimonious and public of any in American business. The media has zealously monitored the stock prices of the two companies in recent weeks; a flood of "poor Bill" stories have provided a backdrop to the relatively dry Justice Department proceedings.