> It doesn't seem to be the case in the Forbes 400
Per the link, 7 of the 20 inherited their wealth. Of the others in the top 10, per Wikipedia:
* Gates' wealthy family background is described in another post in this discussion.
* Bezos' family (broadly defined) owned a 25,000 acre ranch in Texas and his father was an Exxon engineer
* Buffet's father was a member of the US Congress
* Zuckerburg is the child of a psychiatrist and dentist, and attended high school at Phillips Exeter academy (possibly the most elite high school in the U.S.).
* Ellison grew up middle class
* Bloomberg seems to have been working class
Note also that in the land of opportunity, where ~33% of the population is white-skinned and male, 90% (18 of 20) of the 20 wealthiest people are white guys and the other 2 are white women who inherited their money from white guys.
Per the link, 7 of the 20 inherited their wealth. Of the others in the top 10, per Wikipedia:
* Gates' wealthy family background is described in another post in this discussion.
* Bezos' family (broadly defined) owned a 25,000 acre ranch in Texas and his father was an Exxon engineer
* Buffet's father was a member of the US Congress
* Zuckerburg is the child of a psychiatrist and dentist, and attended high school at Phillips Exeter academy (possibly the most elite high school in the U.S.).
* Ellison grew up middle class
* Bloomberg seems to have been working class
Note also that in the land of opportunity, where ~33% of the population is white-skinned and male, 90% (18 of 20) of the 20 wealthiest people are white guys and the other 2 are white women who inherited their money from white guys.