4. Kenneth Langone
2012 Power List
Money can’t buy happiness, but money in the hands of a man set on making a difference can definitely help spread some to others. Langone, of Sands Point—venture capitalist, investment banker, co-founder of The Home Depot and former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange—donates a substantial amount of his fortune to charitable organizations and missions he believes in, such as medical research, education and helping children. One estimate sums his charity work at more than $150 million—and that’s only what’s known. But Langone’s philanthropy is only one small part of what makes this big-hearted billionaire so powerful. The other is his work ethic, his drive. Langone is living testament to the tenacity and immortality of American entrepreneurship.