Woodside's Moore Makes Major Gifts, Remains on Forbes 2015 List of Billionaires

Forbes released its 2015 List of Billionaires this week. Woodside’s Larry Ellison finished near the top of the heap. Coming in at No. 195 is another Woodside resident, Gordon Moore. Although he spends a lot of effort giving away his fortune through the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, his wealth on Mar. 4 is pegged at 6.9 billion.

Moore made his money in semiconductors, cofounding Fairchild in 1957 and Intel in 1968. He was Intel’s CEO until 1987 and Chairman until 1997.

Now, Moore’s family foundation gets the bulk of his time. According to Forbes, “The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, created in 2001, manages more than $5 billion in assets and gives out $250 million a year in grants for environmental conservation, patient care and science. The foundation has committed $250 million to help design and build the Thirty Meter Telescope, which will be the most powerful in the world when it starts operating atop a dormant Hawaiian volcano in 2022.”

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The magazine says there are now 1,826 billionaires worldwide with a combined net worth of $7.05 trillion, up from $6.4 trillion a year ago.

There aren’t any surprises at the top of the Americans on the billionaire heap: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett and Oracle’s Larry Ellison are the leaders.

Forbes, which has been compiling the list since 1986, says the rankings show entrepreneurship is alive and well: 1,191 members of the list are self-made billionaires, while only 230 inherited their fortunes.

--Deb Belt (Patch Staff) contributed to this story; Photo credit: Forbes