２００１年４月２２日《星期日泰晤士报》列出的年度世界富豪排行榜上，名列榜首的微软公司董事长比尔·盖茨被沃尔玛连锁超市董事长山姆·罗伯逊·沃尔顿取代。比尔·盖茨３年来一直稳居世界首富之位，到２０００年其身价达到了７６５亿美元。但由于２００１年全球范围内科技 Bill Gates, the top-ranked Microsoft chairman, was replaced by Sam Robertson Walton, Wal-Mart’s chairman of the supermarket chain, for the annual World Regal ranking on Sunday April 22, 2001. Bill Gates has been the richest man in the world for three years. By 2000, his worth hit 76.5 billion U.S. dollars. However, due to the worldwide technology in 2001