Name: Charles Simonyi Real Time Net Worth: $8.6B (as of 9/1/26) Rank: #443 in the world today Rank on Lists: #34 on Forbes' 2026 America's Richest Immigrants list - Early Microsoft employee Charles Simonyi is the man behind some of the company's most successful software, including Word and Excel. - The developer has a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford and worked on one of the first personal computers at Xerox. - He joined Microsoft, then a fledgling firm, as employee No. 40 in 1981 and spent two decades in application development. - A native of Hungary, he left Microsoft in 2002 and founded Intentional Software, which developed platforms for productivity apps. - Microsoft acquired Intentional Software in 2017 for an undisclosed price, bringing Simonyi back to the Redmond, Washington giant. Age: 77 Source of Wealth: Microsoft, Self Made Self-Made Score: 6 Philanthropy Score: 2 Residence: Medina, Washington Citizenship: United States Marital Status: Married Children: 2 Education: Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of California, Berkeley; Doctorate, Stanford University - Simonyi paid $60 million to jet to the International Space Station on a Russian rocket in 2007 and 2009, making him the first tourist to visit space twice. - Simonyi worked as a night watchman in a computer lab as a teenager, which allowed him to use the machines after everyone had left. - Bill Gates (Business Partner) - Melinda French Gates (Related by financial asset: Microsoft) - Microsoft (Holds stake in Microsoft) - Reid Hoffman (Related by financial asset: Microsoft) - Stanford University (Attended the school) - Steve Ballmer (Business Partner) Total List Appearances: 24 Key Rankings: - America's Richest Immigrants (2026): #34 - Billionaires (2026): #542 - Forbes 400 (2025): #163 - Billionaires (2025): #453 - Forbes 400 (2024): #160 - Billionaires (2024): #364 - Forbes 400 (2023): #164 - Billionaires (2023): #511