What do William Gates III, Warren Buffett, and Lawrence Ellison have in common? Well, they are not only America’s three richest men, but rank among the richest men in the world.

Lawrence Ellison stands in third place in America’s richest men, worth $28 billion. He is the founder of the Oracle Corporation, one of the largest hardware and software corporations in the world. His successful company has over 370,000 customers, with industries in over 145 countries around the world. Born and raised in Chicago, he attended University of Chicago and studied physics. However, he dropped out and never received his diploma. Who knew that a college drop out would end up becoming the sixth richest man in the world?

Warren Buffett, second richest man in America, is the chairman of the Berkshire Hathaway corporation and is worth $47 billion. He made himself known as an investor ever since was six years old. He had bought several six-pack of Coca Cola at his grandfather’s grocery store for 25 cents and sold each bottle for 5 cents, making a 5 cent gross profit. At age eleven, he purchased three shares of Cities Service Preferred for $38 per share and sold them at $40 per share. Today, he owns the very prominent and very successful Berkshire Hathaway corporation, still working with stocks as he did at age 11, making him the third richest man in the world.

Does the name William Gates III ring a bell? He is the founder of Microsoft and is worth $53 billion. He is the richest man in all of America, his net worth around $13 billion a year. Over 60% of his profits, however, are made outside of his Microsoft kingdom. He makes investments through the Four Seasons Hotels, Auto Nation, and more. His innovative invention of the Microsoft software and his smart investments outside of Microsoft make him not only America’s richest man but also the second richest in the world.