NEW YORK - Seventeen U.S. billionaires, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, have joined other wealthy Americans 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 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.
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