More US billionaires pledge to give away half wealth

[rohit bansal]

NEW YORK: Seventeen U.S. billionaires, including Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg, have joined other wealthy American in pledging to give
away at least half their fortunes as part of a philanthropic campaign
by two of the world's richest men - Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.

A total of 57 billionaires now have joined The Giving Pledge, which
was launched by Microsoft founder Gates and investor Buffett in June.
The campaign announced the new pledges in a statement late on
Wednesday.

The campaign asks U.S. billionaires to give away at least half their
wealth during their lifetime or after their death, and to publicly
state their intention with a letter explaining their decision.

In addition to Zuckerberg, the new group of billionaires taking the
pledge includes AOL co-founder Steve Case, financier Carl Icahn and
Michael Milken, the former Wall Street executive who went to prison
for securities violations.

The entire list can be seen at www.givingpledge.org.