> I've been told that Arab sheiks in Saudi Arabia and the UAE laugh at the claims of Gates or Bezos or Slim being the richest person in the world.
Can you post a source? The link you posted only talks about IKEA.
Can you post a source? The link you posted only talks about IKEA.
Here are some attempt at explanations:
https://www.quora.com/Why-arent-the-Arab-sheikhs-among-the-m...
The Forbes methodology rules ranks individuals rather than large, multi generational families who share fortunes.
A WikiLeaks document mentions lots of behind-the-scenes ways that the arab royals siphon money. So I guess it's impossible for Forbes or anyone to know their true net worth:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/28/wikileaks-saudi-roy...