Forbes - USA (2019-11-30)

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FORBES.COM NOVEMBER 30, 20 19

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wo billion bucks isn’t what it used to be. It’s not

enough to qualify for The Forbes 400, for one thing.

Our 38th annual tally of America’s wealthiest people

counted a record 221 billionaires (including boldface

names Michael Jordan, Kylie Jenner and Jay-Z)

who aren’t rich enough to earn admission to the club. (The cut -

off: $2.1 billion.) Members’ average fortune was $7.4 billion, up

$200 million from a year ago. An election is coming, and so is the

inevitable backlash. Tweeted Americans for Tax Fairness, “If the

staggering gap between the rich and the rest of us, as so perfectly

illustrated by The Forbes 400, isn’t a reason to begin a #WealthTax

in this country, we don’t know what is.” Taking the opposite view

was Kendell Angeleson LinkedIn: “#Forbes400 is a true inspiration,

a collection of Americans we should all strive to be like.”

1,705,679 views The Forbes 400

163,557 Donald Trump’s Sons Have Sold More Than $100 Million of His Real Estate Since He Took Office

160,597 MacKenzie Bezos Is Now Worth $36.1 Billion. But Who Is She?

112,895 The Impact 50: How the Ultrarich Are Investing in the Future

71,518 Newcomers: These 19 Billionaires Join The Forbes 400 in 2019

45,947 MacKenzie Bezos and the Other 55 Richest Women in America 2019

38,671 13 Under 40: Here Are the Youngest Billionaires on The Forbes 400

6,078 THE BOMB: Here Are the 27 Billionaires Who Dropped Off The Forbes 400

THE INTEREST GRAPH

POOR INNOVATION

After we published our list of America’s 100 most

innovative leaders in September, readers quickly

pointed out a fundamental flaw: It included only

one woman, Ross Stores CEO Barbara Rentler.

Poor oversight and poor methodology led to a

poor list. We’re pledging to use this feedback on

our mistakes to take active steps to do better.

Among other initiatives, we’re dedicating a section

of Forbes.com to a new coverage area, Inclusive

Capitalism, which will focus on making sure

everyone has a seat at the table and an equal

chance to achieve success—and an extra issue

of Forbes will be devoted to it.

T

AMANDA SCULLION

RESPESS: “Disgraceful.

I want to see Joanna Coles,

Indra Nooyi, Michele Buck,

Leslie Berland (previously

featured by Forbes, BTW),

Melanie Perkins of Canva

and so many more.”

SARAH PECK: “Congratula-

tions to those named on the

list. Let’s hope next year

brings recognition of female

contributors. It’s hard to

believe that only men are

‘creative and successful

business minds.’ ”

@MARCBENIOFF: “Thank you

@Forbes for once again includ-

ing me on your innovative-

leader list. We are very

fortunate to have so many

high-quality innovators in our

industry. We need much more

female representation on this

list—especially in the top 10!”

MARIANNE

MCINTYRE:

“Shameful that in

2019 you can only

come up with one

woman out of a

choice of 100.”

@VALERIEJARRETT: “Come on, @Forbes.

If your methodology produced only one

woman out of the 100 most innovative

leaders, obviously you should have

challenged it rather than publishing it.”

@HERMINIAIBARRA:

“It’s worth learning from

how the @Forbes ‘innovative

leader’ list ended up with

only 1 woman on it, because

that is how gender bias

happens. The list was derived

using ‘objective,’ quantified

criteria. The aim was scien-

tific. But those criteria are

highly subject to bias.”

Conversation

FILTHY RICH?