David Duffield

Founded PeopleSoft, the company that would make him a billionaire, at age 47. His fourth venture, he mortgaged his house to fund it, but he says he wasn't nervous: "You kind of know when you're on to something." He sure was: PeopleSoft became the world's second-largest application software company. After 18-month takeover battle with nemesis Larry Ellison, sold out to Oracle for $10 billion in 2005. Once again fighting Oracle chief with his fifth start-up, enterprise software firm Workday. Sales were up 90% to an estimated $100 million last year. With wife, created Maddie's Fund, named for family's beloved schnauzer. Pet rescue foundation is endowed with $300 million to save shelter dogs and cats. Has paid for the adoptions of 600,000 pets since started in 1994. Duffield says he plans to leave his fortune to his animal charity, not any of his 11 children, when he dies. Nevada campaign finance records show a ‘David A Duffield Trust’ donated $10,000 to Republican Joe Lombardo’s successful gubernatorial campaign in 2022. Cheryl Duffield also donated $10,000. David Duffield contributed $10,000 to Washoe County Commissioner Marsha Lee Berkbigler’s reelection campaign in 2020. Berkbigler represented Incline Village. Forbes on Oct. 18 2024 calculated Duffield’s real time net worth at $12.1 billion — making him the 171th richest person in the world and the second richest in Nevada. Duffield made his billions through the software companies PeopleSoft and Workday, both of which he co-founded. The octogenarian, who is now CEO of Ridgeline Inc. and Nevada Pacific Development, lives in Incline Village, a wealthy community on Lake Tahoe. The Duffields have lived in Nevada since the late-1990s when they first purchased property near Lake Tahoe. The billionaire is known for donations made through their David and Cheryl Duffield Foundation. In June 2023, the foundation donated $27 million to the Washoe County School District to renovate and expand Incline High School. The Duffields are also longtime financial benefactors of Lake Tahoe School, a private school in Incline Village that offers pre-K through eighth grade. In 2022, the Duffields made headlines when their foundation walked back a planned $25 million donation to renovate the Incline Village Recreation Center.