Tech companies bring jobs, innovation and billions of dollars to the Peninsula.
So it's not surprising that some of the wealthiest Americans made their fortunes in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco, and still reside in the region.
Forbes magazine released its annual list of the richest people on the planet this month. The rankings include a who's-who of tech CEOs who call the Peninsula home.
San Mateo County's own Larry Ellison, who lives in Woodside, leads the rankings for the region and all of California.
Ellison ranks No. 5 on Forbes' Billionaires list, the same place he held in 2011. He is the third richest person in the United States, the magazine reports. The 68-year-old Woodside resident is worth an estimated $43 billion. Ellison made his fortune as co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation. He has made several efforts in recent years to buy NBA teams.
But Ellison isn't the only billionaire in the neighborhood. Charles Johnson, 80, of Hillsborough, is worth $5.7 billion and Rupert Johnson, Jr., 71, of Burlingame, is valued at $5.6 billion.
Here's a list of the richest people on the Peninsula and in the Silicon Valley, according to Forbes magazine
Wealthiest People in the Peninsula and Silicon Valley Name Net Worth International Ranking U.S. Ranking Company Age Residence Larry Ellison $43 billion #5 3rd Oracle Corporation 68 Woodside Eric Schmidt $8.2 billion #138 45th Google 57 Atherton Charles Johnson $5.7 billion #211 64th Franklin Resources (parent of mutual fund purveyor Franklin Templeton) 80 Hillsborough Rupert Johnson, Jr. $5.6 billion #215 66th Franklin Resources71 Burlingame Charles Schwab $4.3 billion #299 95th Charles Schwab (financial broker) 75 Atherton Gordon Moore $4.1 billion #316 101st
Intel 84 Woodside George Roberts $4.1 billion #316
101st
KKR (leveraged buyouts) 69 Atherton John A. Sobrato and family $3.9 billion #346
111th
Sobrato Development 73 Atherton Jeffrey Skoll $3.7 billion #363 120th eBay 48 Woodside John Doerr
$2.7 billion #527 181st Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers 61 Woodside Meg Whitman $1.9 billion #792 264th eBay 56 Atherton Thomas Siebel $1.8 billion #831 279th software 60 Woodside Kavitark Ram Shriram $1.65 billion #922 304th Google 56 Menlo Park Scott Cook $1.5 billion #974 328th Intuit 60 Woodside Mark Stevens $1.3 billion #1107 359th S-Cubed Capital 53 Atherton Jim Breyer
$1.2 billion #1175 377th venture capital 51 Woodside Carl Berg $1.1 billion #1268
392nd
real estate 75 Atherton Source: Forbes.com
How does it feel living among so many billionaires? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
