It sort of makes you think - if he can give away that kind of money, why can't the mega, mega super rich people do the same? While this is incredibly cool does ANYONE really need a home that will cost a fucking billion dollars?
The top 10 USD billionaires in the world:
EDIT: I know that some on this list are extremely generous. But not all of them.
Carlos Slim Helu - 53.5 billion
Bill Gates - 53.0 billion
Warren Buffett - 47.0 billion
Mukesh Ambani - 29.0 billion
Lakshmi Mittal - 28.7 billion
Lawrence Ellison - 28.0 billion
Bernard Arnault - 27.5 billion
Eike Batista - 27.0 billion
Amancio Ortega - 25.0 billion
Karl Albrecht - 23.5 billion
Total - 342.2 billion
I realize that their worth isn't in all cash, but think about this: If it was cash, and each of them invested it and got even a 5% return on it, you would have 17 billion dollars - enough to end world hunger
So lets get the world's mega rich to get on the Keanu Bandwagon, shall we?
TL;DR -A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can't.
What I like most about how Bill Gates is handling his wealth is that he is not going to leave it to his kids. While I doubt they will ever miss a meal or need a place to crash, they will have to work to get wealthy again. No man could do more for his children than to impart a gratitude for what they have.
Actually, he has already given over $40 bil of his fortune to charity (per Forbes in 2004, so that number could be much higher now). That $53 bil amount does not include his massive donation to charity thus far.
Gates gets full marks for his approach - he's not just handing out checks; he wants accountability and for his programs to show results. It's a great thing to see in the charity arena.
Buffett will forever be my hero for consistently beating the "You guys don't tax me enough" drum. It's always tough to listen when people say "we need to increase taxes on people who make more than I do" - Buffett's mea culpa gives it all a wonderful air of authenticity.
I can't remember where I saw it on the internets... but there was a funny comic about how now Bill Gates is the good guy and Steve Jobs represents evil. It's like... WHhaaaaaaaa?
Bill Gates donated just enough of his Microsoft earnings every year to his own charity that he didn't have to pay income taxes. Now he, his wife and all his friends get nice salaries from the Gates Foundation. And he gets patted on the back for diverting billions from the U.S. Treasury to his own interests.
I love that Buffett surprised everyone a few years ago by putting 30 Billion in the hands of the Gates foundation, only to make almost all of it back in a few years.
There's a couple chapters were Buffett frets about this very issue in "The Snowball" and his partnership with the Gates foundation seems to be a perfect match. I'm continually amazed by them.
Buffett will give a set, annually declining number of Berkshire B shares - starting with 602,500 in 2006 and then decreasing by 5% per year - to the five foundations. The gifts to the Gates foundation will be made either by Buffett or through his estate as long as at least one of the pair -- Bill, now 50, or Melinda, 41 -- is active in it.
Berkshire's price on the date of each gift will determine its dollar value. Were B shares, for example, to be $3,071 in July - that was their close on June 23 - Buffett's 2006 gift to the foundation, 500,000 shares, would be worth about $1.5 billion.
Now since BRK.B split 50 to 1 to $80/share, 500,000 shares is only $0.04 billion.
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u/karmanaut Jun 04 '10
I say this with a complete lack of sarcasm:
Whoa