Lawrence Ellison

World's Billionaires 2009

4. Lawrence Ellison

Net Worth: $22.5 billion

Source: Oracle/U.S.

Age: 64

Marital Status: Thrice divorced, remarried; two children

• Database titan continues to engulf the competition; Oracle has racked up 49 acquisitions in the past four years.
• Bought BEA Systems for $8.5 billion last year. Company still sitting on $7 billion in cash. Revenues up 11% to $10.9 billion in the six months ended Nov. 30, 2007; profits also up 11% to $2.4 billion. Stock down 25% in past 12 months.
• Invested $125 million in Web software outfit Netsuite; took public in 2007, stock down 80% since. His shares are still worth $300 million.
• Chicago native studied physics at University of Chicago, didn't graduate.
• Started Oracle in 1977. Public in 1986, a day before Microsoft.
• Owns 453-foot Rising Sun; built a smaller leisure boat because the long yacht is hard to park.
• Squabbling in court with Swiss boating billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli over terms of next America's Cup. Recently unveiled hulking 90-foot trimaran he intends to use to win it.

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© AP Photo/Heribert Proepper

5. Ingvar Kamprad Net Worth: $22 billion Source: Ikea/Sweden Age: 83 Marital Status: Divorced, remarried; four children

• Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager.
• Started selling furniture in 1947.
• Opened first Ikea store 50 years ago; store's name is a combination of initials of his first and last name, his family farm and the nearest village.
• Retired in 1986; company's "senior adviser" still reportedly works tirelessly on his brand.
• Discount retailer now sells 9,500 items in 36 countries; prints catalog in 27 languages. Revenues up 7% to $27.4 billion in fiscal-year 2008.
• Opened 10th store in China this February; planning to open first in Dominican Republic later this year.
• Three sons all work at the company.
• Thrifty entrepreneur flies economy class, frequents cheap restaurants and furnishes his home mostly with Ikea products.

© Kpix

6. Karl Albrecht Net Worth: $21.5 billion Source: Supermarkets/Germany Age: 89 Marital Status: Married, two children

• Germany's richest person owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud.
• Retailer faring well amid economic downturn; analysts expect its 2008 sales to be up 9.4% to $33.7 billion. Sales in the U.S. up estimated 20% last year to $7 billion.
• Plans to open 75 U.S. stores in 2009, including first in New York City.
• With younger brother, Theo, transformed their mother's corner grocery store into Aldi after World War II.
• Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores in southern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got northern Germany and the rest of Europe.
• Retired from daily operations.
• Fiercely private: little known about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

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