Your Favorite Billionaire

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My future self. Ha! In seriousness, with the amount of liquid money out there and the buyout happy market, with the right project, scoring a big pay day is definitely possible.

I predict that the next generation of super, super rich (Bill Gates rich) aren't going to come from tech. I think we will see a lot of money made industrializing up and coming nations, think Rockefeller and other 'robber barrons'. Interesting to think because in a way the 'game plan' is already there from the history of current industrialized countries.
 


Oprah Winfrey is NOT my favorite, though her story is certainly inspiring, and
I think she was recently valued at a billion or so.

Jeff Bezos is to be admired for his tenacious effort to do e-commerce without making a profit, for as long as he did, albeit not a favorite either.

And Michael Dell certainly helped make PCs more affordable with his new-age, production driven business model that turned commerce as we know it up-side down.

My favorite though is Paul McCartney, who knows that a good piece of ass CAN cost you $200 million in 2006, but the music keeps playing.
 
Maybe it's just me...

But I find "philantropy" objectionable.

1. Throwing money at a problem is rarely the answer. See: welfare, drug war, Somalia, the Middle East, and of course we all have real life examples.

2. I'm sure everyone here sees the benefits of "taking care of yourself first" -- a good example of this is putting an oxygen mask on your own face before helping children or others on a plane. If YOU aren't on a firm foundation, you can't address the needs of others competently. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are throwing BILLIONS at Africa. Is America A-OK now? Bill and Warren are Americans, and they made the vast majority of their money from Americans - yet no desire to put America's problems first?

3. If living selflessly was such a good idea, we'd all love politicians. It just doesn't work that way.

My opinion is of course subject to change. If for instance this charitable work produced noticeable results, then I would be impressed. But history has taught us that when it comes to nation-building, charity is the road paved with good intentions. See Japan (we took a hard-line no charity stance) vs. the Phillipines (we loved them and dumped money into their country) following WWII.

...no idea why I felt the need to write this off-topic semi-rant, but something about putting people on a pedestal for tossing money around, doesn't sit right with me...
 
joe said:
^ What? No making a billion dollars from AdSense? :updown:
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I'll bet that within 10 years time, my new company will have at least $1B in assets, and all revenue will be via the internet.

My goal is to have my company win an award from Forbes and/or Fortune in the small-medium sized business category in 5 years or less.

Mark my words.
 
Jon said:
I'll bet that within 10 years time, my new company will have at least $1B in assets, and all revenue will be via the internet.

My goal is to have my company win an award from Forbes and/or Fortune in the small-medium sized business category in 5 years or less.

Mark my words.
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Say your company did win an award, how the fuck would we know it's you? :D
 
Karnul said:
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3. If living selflessly was such a good idea, we'd all love politicians. It just doesn't work that way.
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Sorry, but :ugone2far: Selfless politicians? Brahahahahahahahaha

Throwing money at a problem is not solving it.. yes.. but that is because one does not throw money at a problem but at a a proposed solution.
Normally then, it is the solution that is flawed... like "war on drugs".

Once ya got the right solution, money does help.
::emp::
 
Juicify said:
Ingvar Kamprad Oh yeah ;)

"Kamprad drives a 15 year old car, only flies economy class, and encourages IKEA employees to always write on both sides of a paper."
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I hate people who say he is so great b/c he drives a POS. Dude fucking revolutionized cheap ass furniture, drive a nice car asshole.
 
engaged said:
I hate people who say he is so great b/c he drives a POS. Dude fucking revolutionized cheap ass furniture, drive a nice car asshole.
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I don't idolize excessive cheap asses either (although I like Ikea style design). I'm going with Steve Jobs because of Apple's innovation and the fact he and Wozniak were some of the first guys to wear casual clothes to work in the business world.
 
engaged said:
He has other homes, don't worry. I've also seen his private jet at LAX.
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I know he has more homes, just wonderin about the home he lives in. To each his own, I guess.

He did donate $31 Billion to the Gates Foundation. Cheap ass. :1orglaugh:
 
Gimme someone who's not a hypocrite, or old man, and is self-made, and they're gonna top my list. The numbers are few.
 
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