Forbes will release its official list of 400 richest Americans this Thursday, but one shocker is the rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, particularly has he oversteps Jobs’ place on the list. Landing 35th on the 400 wealthiest, Zuckerberg has displaced Steve Jobs, who landed in the number 42 spot.
Zuckerberg’s worth went up to $6.9 billion from $4.9 billion last year. This is due to investments that shot up Facebook’s net worth to $23 billion. Nevertheless, that’s not too far from Jobs’ net worth of $6.1 billion.
But this ranking doesn’t mean Facebook is more valuable than Apple. According to Forbes, Jobs only gains a $5.5 million share from Apple. Much of his worth came from Disney, once it acquired his Pixar studio. On the other hand, Zuckerberg holds a substantial share of Facebook. If Zuckerberg’s rank determines anything, it’s the fact that social-networking is establishing its importance and perhaps dominance in the world of information technology.
After the epic shock, there’s also something that didn’t change about the Forbes 400. It’s Bill Gates still sitting on top with a net worth of $54 billion. He’s been there for 17 years now and counting. Zuckerberg is taking a few lessons from the king of high net worth, having recently donated $100 million to the schools of Newark.
