The Richest People In America: Carl Icahn

©AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

#21 Carl Icahn

$12.0 billion
Source: leveraged buyouts

Another year, another slew of proxy battles for The Forbes 400's richest "shareholder activist." Appeased in August by Jerry Yang, got 3 seats on Yahoo's board after pushing the sluggish search outfit all summer to take $44.6 billion buyout offer from Microsoft. Bane of corporate ineptitude may be losing his touch; shares of holding company Icahn Enterprises (real estate, hedge funds) down 60% since January. Started Wall Street career in securities arbitrage at Dreyfus & Co. Big money in 1980s buyouts. Publishes blog about "anti-Darwinian" executives, "myth" of corporate democracy.

Complete List The Richest People In America

Related Posts by Category