Paul Allen has lots of money. You already knew that about the co-founder of Microsoft, of course. But the Forbes 400 richest Americans list came out Wednesday and Mr. Allen has reached a new pedestal.
The 59-year-old is now worth an estimated $15 billion, which moves him from 23rd to 20th on the list. That makes the Seahawks and Trail Blazers owner the richest American in sports, pushing him well ahead of Nike founder Phil Knight, who ranks 23rd with a measly net worth of $13.1 billion.
Fellow Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates retained the top spot on the list for the incredible 19th consecutive year at $66 billion. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is up to 11th place, increasing his worth from $19.1 billion last year to $23.2 billion in 2012.
Outside of the states, Allen is second in the sports sphere to Mukesh Ambani, the owner of a Mumbai cricket team and the wealthiest man in sports at a net worth of $22.3 billion.
Things are going well right now for the always-busy Allen both on and off the field. His Seahawks have impressed so far this season with the pigskin — and smartphone apps — while the Sounders, in which he’s a part-owner, look playoff-bound.
Off the field — er, “pitch” for you soccer football fans‚ Allen is looking to sell the Amazon campus he owns and is closer to fulfilling his dream of flying in space. He is also co-leading a $30 million investment in Silruia Technologies, a San Francisco company developing methods to convert natural gas into other materials like plastic and transportation fuels. Allen is even helping salvage parts from an old British battle cruiser with his massive 414-foot yacht.
And, perhaps best of all, it looks like Bill G. and Paul might be BFFs again.
