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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology

The world's richest technologists

Carlos Slim Helu
The big gun: The 67-year-old Mexican telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim Helu has made an estimated $49bn through his companies Telmex, Telcel and America Movil. He has rocketed to fame in 2007 after being named the world's richest person, outstripping famous names Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Photograph: Susana Gonzalez/AFP
Li Ka-Shing
Modest mountain: His interests are diverse, including shipping and property, but Chinese-born Li Ka-Shing also owns telecommunications brands like 3 through his company, Hutchison Whampoa. Despite his $23bn fortune, however, the 79-year-old lives a famously simple lifestyle, which has changed little for 50 years. Photograph: Anat Givon/AP
Azim Premji
Real pro: The success of Indian software company Wipro Technologies has thrown Azim Premji up the rich lists, and he is now worth around $14bn. The company manages services to some of the world's biggest businesses, and the 62-year-old employs nearly 70,000 people in India. Photograph: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP
Vladimir Yevtushenkov
Reclusive Russian: Muscovite tycoon Vladimir Yevtushenkov got rich through his telecommunications company, Sistema. He has a majority stake in the company, which runs Russia's largest mobile network, and is worth an estimated $9bn. Photograph: Chris Young/PA
Hasso Plattner
Despite having created one of Europe's leading software companies, Hassno Plattner - worth around $6bn - rarely gets in the international spotlight. Now retired from SAP, which he co-founded in 1972, the former IBM worker spends his time supporting research and investment in technology. Photograph: Frank May/EPA
Masayoshi Son
Soft and strong: As the CEO of leading media company Softbank, Masayoshi Son is one of the richest people in Japan. He was turned on to the hi-tech industry during a degree at University of California, Berkeley, and founded Softbank in the early 1980s. Last year, the company bought Vodafone Japan, putting his fortune at $5.8bn. Photograph: Toshifumi Kitamura/EPA
Hiroshi Yamauchi
Mario's mastermind: Eighty-year-old Hiroshi Yamauchi - pictured here in 1999 - was the man behind the rise of video gaming giant Nintendo. As head of the company for a remarkable 53 years, he took it from obscurity to worldwide fame in the 1980s. The recent success of the Wii has bolstered his wealth, currently estimated to be $3.9bn. Photograph: Shizuo Kambayashi/AP
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