The World's Most Powerful Billionaires

1. Michael Bloomberg : Mayor, New York City; Bloomberg LP
New York City's chief executive. Former Salomon Brothers trader founded financial information and services firm Innovative Market Systems; renamed Bloomberg LP in 1987. Firm now has news service, cable TV stations, radio and magazine. Today, he owns 88% of company after buying cash-strapped Merrill Lynch's 20% stake last summer. Spent $74 million becoming New York City mayor in 2001 and $85 million in 2005. Law passed in October letting Bloomberg run for third term.

2. Silvio Berlusconi : Prime minister, Italy; Fininvest
Currently serving his third term as prime minister of Italy. Leads a nation of 58 million people, an industrial economy with a GDP of $2.4 trillion and a military budget of roughly $43 billion. As prime minister, he lords over Italy's public TV; his diversified conglomerate Fininvest dominates Italy's private TV channels.


3. Lakshmi Mittal : ArcelorMittal
Controls world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal; company accounts for 10% of crude steel production. Born in India but lives in London, where his political clout often incites controversy. In 2002, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair reportedly wrote a letter to the Romanian prime minister hinting a sale of the country's steel company to Mittal would facilitate its entrance into the European Union.

4. Warren Buffett : Berkshire Hathaway
Even the faintest hint of interest from Buffett can send a stock soaring. When Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway injected billions into Goldman Sachs in September, the investment bank's shares jumped by nearly 6%. Backed Barack Obama with advice and money during last year's campaign; Obama often touted the endorsement in a campaign where the economy eventually took center stage.

5. Vagit Alekperov : Lukoil
Former Caspian Sea oil rig worker, now president of Lukoil, Russia's largest independent energy company. The firm's reserves are second only to ExxonMobil. Alekperov owns more than 19% of the company. Friend of Vladimir Putin who lobbies Kremlin for tax breaks for Russian oil companies.

6. Carlos Slim Helu : America Movil, Telefonos de Mexico
Son of Lebanese immigrant was world's second richest man in 2008. His Telmex controls 90% of telephone landlines in Mexico; cellphone operator America Movil has more than 173 million customers in Latin America. Baseball fan and art collector also invests in construction, retail, banking, railroads, mining and media; bought 6.9% stake in The New York Times last year and loaned the newspaper $250 million in January.

7. Mukesh Ambani : Reliance Industries
Heads petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries, Indian's largest company by market cap. Produces oil, gas, petrochemicals and textiles. Personally funding construction of a 27-story home in Mumbai that could cost $2 billion. With brother Anil, inherited their fortune from their late father, renowned industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani. But they couldn't get along, and in 2005, their mother brokered a peace settlement breaking up the family's assets.

8. Charles and David Koch : Koch Industries
MIT-trained brothers turned family oil refining firm into America's second largest private company. Koch Industries has stakes in pipelines, refineries, fertilizer, fibers and polymers, forest and consumer products, chemical technology. Sales in 2008: $110 billion. Brothers each own 42% of company. Employs 80,000 people and operates in 60 countries. Charles co-founder of conservative think tank Cato Institute. David gave $100 million to alma mater for cancer research in 2007. Pledged another $100 million to New York's Lincoln Center last July.

9. Bill Gates : Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft
World's richest man founded software giant Microsoft in 1975. Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft last year to devote his talents and riches to philanthropy. The $36 billion Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donates to causes such as fighting hunger in developing countries, improving education in America's high schools and developing vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS.

10. Edward and Abigail Johnson : Fidelity
Father and daughter run Fidelity Investments, America's largest mutual fund company. Family owns 49% of the company, which managed $1.2 trillion in assets at the end of 2008. "Ned" serves as chairman; "Abby" runs Personal & Workplace Investing division.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/12/most-powerful-people-business-billionaires_0212_rich.html