Paul Allen

At no. 32 is Paul Gardner Allen who co-founded Microsoft Corp with Bill Gates in 1975. His net worth is estimated at $10.5 billion.

Allen left Microsoft in 1983 after he being diagnosed by Hodgkin's disease. Microsoft now makes up 25% of his net worth. Among the biggest billionaire losers in the list, Allen has seen his fortune erode by almost 65% in the last 12 months. Allen also lost big on investments in Charter Communications, a US-based cable company, which is expected to file for bankruptcy.

Allen's investment portfolio includes large stakes in DreamWorks Animation SKG, Digeo, Oxygen Media, real estate holdings and more than 40 other technology, media and content companies.

Fifty-six-year old Allen also owns two professional sports teams: The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association.

Anil Ambani

The first Indian on the list with interests in telecom industry is RCom head Anil Ambani. Ironically, the biggest gainer on the last year's list, happens to be the biggest loser this year. With over $32 billion wiped out over the last 12 months, Anil ranks at 34ths position this year, with an estimated net worth of $10.1 billion. A big fall from last year's no. 6th ranking.

The last year saw the shares of ADAG group's leading companies Reliance Communications, Reliance Power and Reliance Capital fall by as much as over 58%.

In 2008, Anil also topped the list of 'Billionaire Blowups of 2008' for losing biggest amount of wealth in less than a year after being termed as the biggest gainer a year before.

Anil's plans to merge his Reliance Communications with South Africa's MTN were scuttled last July after brother Mukesh threatened to sue, claiming he had right of first refusal. Reliance Power bagged 3 mega power projects for a combined 14,000 MW last year.

Married to a Bollywood actress Tina, Anil has Hollywood ambitions. His Reliance Entertainment is investing $500 million in a new studio venture with Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks. He has signed several A-list actors like George Clooney, Jim Carrey and Julia Roberts to co-produce films.

A bachelor of Arts/Science graduate from University of Bombay, he later did MBA from the university of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.

Sunil Mittal & family

India's telecom tycoon Sunil Mittal holds the 59th position with a net worth estimating at $7.7 billion.

Mittal, who heads India's largest mobile phone operator, Bharti Airtel, added 8 million subscribers in latest quarter and launched mobile services in Sri Lanka.

Fifty-one-year-old Mittal founded the company in 1995, along with his two brothers. Airtel today has a customer base of over 91 million subscribers. Mittal's dominant share in Bharti Airtel has gone down by over 30 per cent in value terms in the past year.

Son of a politician, Mittal has taken competition head on: Bharti Airtel has held on to its top spot despite formidable rivals in Reliance Communications and Vodafone Essar.

Bharti also competes against Reliance Industries, the Aditya Birla Group, Tata and others in the $350 billion retail industry, and a host of foreign and local firms in the financial services sector.

Interestingly, the number 23 has special significance for Mittal, and features on the licence plates of his cars, in his phone number and is often a preferred date for meetings and big announcements.

He is funding a football academy, and aims to send an Indian contingent to 2018 World Cup.

Ananda Krishnan

A Tamil Malaysian of Sri Lankan Tamil origin, Ananda Krishnan ranks at #62 with a personal net worth of $7.0 billion. A Harvard Business School graduate, Krishnan started his career as an oil trader.

His holdings include Maxis Communications, Malaysia's largest cell phone service provider, with more than 10 million subscribers. He bought control of Maxis Communications, picking up stakes from BT and AT&T when the two Western phone giants were struggling financially.

He took the company private in June 2007 in a $5 billion deal, then sold 25% of Maxis to Saudi Telecom the same month. Bought 35% in Sri Lanka Telecom.

In 2008, Krishnan sold Excel, the exhibition venue in London's Docklands, and reportedly bought 20% stake in Johnston Press in London. A modern art collector, he has homes in Kuala Lumpur, London and south of France.

Jeffrey Bezos

Long after most other dotcom founders have moved on, Amazon.com CEO Jeffrey Bezos, 45, remains one of the internet's success stories: Ranked at no. 62 in Forbes' richest World's Billionaires' list with a personal net worth of $6.8 billion.

Amazon posted best-ever holiday sales despite 2008 recession. However, stock is down over 30% since August, flat for the year.

Bezos founded Amazon.com Inc and has been its CEO since May 1996, the Chairman of the Board since 1994, and the President since October 2000. Previously, he served as the President of Amazon from 1994 to June 1999. Bezos served as the President and Chief Executive Officer at Padcom.

Before starting Amazon, he worked at the intersection of computer science and finance, helping build hedge funds on Wall Street for DE Shaw & Co. He also led the development of computer systems that helped manage more than $250 Billion in assets for Bankers Trust Company. He served as a Director of Drugstore.com from August 1998 to June 10, 2004.

Bezos graduated summa cum laude, and BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University in 1986.

James Goodnight

With a personal net worth of $6.1 billion, James Goodnight, CEO of SAS, ranks at no. 75. SAS is a world's leading business analytics software vendor.

James started SAS in 1976, now largest privately-held software company in the world. The company registered record sales of $2.3 billion last year, up 5% over 2007. Still, software industry isn't immune to economic slump; publicly-traded competitors' stocks down more than 30% on average.

James did his Bachelor of Arts/Science from North Carolina State University. Wants US to open borders to skilled overseas IT workers.