Tech leaders swell wallets to dominate rich list

The Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans shows the rich getting richer, with Gates, Zuckerberg, Ellison and Dell leading the way

A parade of tech titans peppered this year's Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans, with Bill Gates predictably topping the pile.

The Microsoft founder is worth $59bn, some $5bn more than he was this time last year. Two places behind him, Oracle chief Larry Ellison has added $6bn to his personal fortune in the past year, taking him to a net worth of $33bn. The combined wealth of the entire top 400 has increased 12 per cent on last year and now stands at more than $1.5tn.

At 27 years old, Facebook head honcho Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) is the second-youngest billionaire in the US and was one of the biggest climbers in this year's list. In the past 12 months his net worth has risen 153.6 per cent, soaring from less than $7bn to $17.5bn.

Dustin Moskovitz, Zuckerberg's former college roommate and one of Facebook's first employees, is eight days his friend's junior, making him the youngest person on the rich list. He left the social networking firm several years ago to start Asana, a messaging software outfit. He is the 91st richest person in the US, and has seen his wealth more than double to $3.5bn this year.

Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are two more internet entrepreneurs to make the list, placing joint 15th. The pair both enjoy a net worth of $16.7bn.

PC kingpin Michael Dell has added $1bn to his coffers this year and is 18th on the list, with a personal fortune of $15bn. One place behind him is Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, who is worth $13.2bn - a 6.1 per cent rise on 2010.

Steve Jobs, who recently stepped down as Apple chief executive, has added the best part of $1bn to his bank account this year. His $7bn net worth makes him the 39th richest American.