14 DAY TRIAL // I've just realized Jobs is much like a mother-in-law. Once you've married a Mac (/iPod/iPhone/whatever Cupertino will make), you're stuck with its mother. Though I really resent writing about Jobs, my position as Apple Editor forces me to write about everything the beloved Cupertino CEO says and does.
So, here it is: Steve Jobs is on this year's Forbes list of world's richest people on the 132nd spot, up from #140, with $4.4 billion in 2006. Mac users around the world, sing with joy! You've made Jobs richer!
He's net worth is now estimated at $5.7 billion. Jobs is Disney's largest shareholder, with a stake worth $4.7 billion. He sold Disney his Pixar Animation last May. He gets the rest of his money from Apple.
It would be so unfair to talk about the Forbes list and not mention Bill Gates. He's still heading the top with an estimated worth of $56 billion, $6 billion richer than last year. He's almost 10 times richer than our pal at Apple.
Lea Goldman at Forbes makes a very true observation. Few are those billionaires who also pull off the being a famous celebrity act. Jobs is one of those few (in a Trumpish kind of way, perhaps). Here's what Goldman says about the CEO:
"Then there is nerd-fame. Perennially clad in a uniform of black turtleneck and jeans, Steve Jobs enjoys cultish celebrity status among fans of Apple, the computer company he founded in 1976. Jobs, worth $5.7 billion, has been touted as a creative mastermind thanks to Apple's uber-successful launch of the iPod and this year's announcement of the much-anticipated iPhone."
I wonder how high will the 52-year-old, black-turtleneck-wearing Apple nerd manage to rise in the Forbes top. Will he ever be listed above Gates? (Little chance of that happening, if you ask me).
Enjoy your pile of cash, Steve Jobs!