I suppose if I think about a while, I can see some disadvantages. But I’m confident I can speak for the whole world when I say, give me a f___ing break!
Bill Gates: I don’t want to be world’s richest man
In news that will either gladden or enrage non-billionaires everywhere, Bill Gates has revealed that he would rather not be the world’s richest man.
“I wish I wasn’t … There’s nothing good that comes out of that,” the co-founder of Microsoft told a conference of online advertising executives in Redmond, Washington, where the software company has its headquarters. “You get more visibility as a result of it.”
Forbes magazine estimates Mr Gates’ personal fortune at about $50bn (£27bn).
Because of the scale of his wealth, it has been said that it would not be worth his while to bend down to pick up $10,000 lying in the street, though the claim does not stand up to much mathematical scrutiny. He appeared to be objecting to being number one on the list, rather than being well-off.
Far from “nothing good” having come out of his wealth, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world’s biggest philanthropic organisation, with an endowment of $29.1bn, and fights Aids, malaria, tuberculosis and malnutrition.
If he did bend down to pick up the $10,000, it is not clear that anyone would notice. Renowned for his bland manner and dress sense, Mr Gates told the conference he was “not bothered when I’m out in public or anything. Someone might ask for a signature, rarely, but that’s not a difficult thing.”
He was adamant he would not pursue a higher profile for his activities by seeking elected office. “I certainly will never be a politician,” he said. When asked for his reasons, he responded: “For every reason. I wouldn’t like it. I wouldn’t be elected. I’m better at what I’m doing.”
The person from whom he had learned the most, he said, was Warren Buffett, the investor who is one place behind him on the Forbes ranking. “He has this very refreshing, simple way of looking at things so I put him top of the list,” Mr Gates said.
Microsoft’s dominance of the computer industry has been eroded in recent years, not least by Google. But Mr Gates said his firm would unveil new applications that would help claw back ground. “I think this is a rare case where we are being underestimated,” he said.
I’d be MORE than happy to “help” him get rid of some of that wealth and take the burden of carrying around that title…
Where exactly is this street with bundles of $10,000? I can understand this being a distraction. At his age one begins to worry about legacies. I’m sure he had rather be remembered by history as a great innovator and technological revolutionary than just the richest human. We don’t get to write our own histories. He could endow his foundations and walk away broke if he wants to. No law says he had to keep it.
yeah, if he gives a billion here a billion there, he could be number two in no time. I’ll take a billion for him, and I solemnly promise to use exclusively for charity and Windows using companies.
If Microsoft keeps doing what they are currently doing his dream might come true
Bill seems to be about the most “normal” of the super-billionaires (except for Buffett) – compare him to the wackos such as Larry Ellison or Donald Trump. He’s given away $30 billion to his foundation. He doesn’t say “I’m da baddest” and he doesn’t have some weird ambition to become a politician.
He isn’t asking for pity. He’s simply pointing out that it can be a pain to have the celebrity status of being the richest.
Awww, I’m playing a violing for Billy boy.
I don’t think you can really say much unless you were in his shoes. I would like the money of course but all the notoriety and the inability to go anywhere without being bothered wouldn’t be too cool. If I were that rich I would probably get lazy, over eat, clog up my arteries, and die. Work to Live. 🙂
Say want you want about his company, but Bill Gates and his wife seem like some of the most down to earth and nice people. Plus I can understand it would get annoying that being the only thing people associated you with.
He’s the largest single giver to charity in the world for example – he doesn’t need to be #1 to do that, but do you hear much about it? no… 🙁
i get the idea that my NEXt comment may be controversal…
HE AINT the richest…
The REAL rich ones are hiding, and you will NOT see a public face. They have been making money since Their fathers started making it… an you wont SEE them.
I noticed is what people don’t realize is to become rich, you can’t just make a million spend a million. The result would be zero if you did that. If anyone, including Gates found a bundle of $10,000 (assuming its possible to find such), they would pick it up. If all Gates did was skip all the smaller gains (relatively speaking), then he would not have the ambition to make even more money. A good example of someone who made millions, but is now in debt is Michael Jackson. Yes, he was once famous and rich, but now what does he have? Not much. He did not learn to save, so in the end he is in debt.
Now if Gates doesn’t want to be the richest man in the world, he should quadruple his Microsoft’s programmers’ pay so hopefully they can make produce an OS with many less bugs (not even asking for none!) and security holes (definitely none), and hopefully before the end of the world.
I agree with ECA. Gates is not the richest man. He is just the richest than can be tracked by stock value. The Rothschild family fortune would dwarf all others. I am not talking about L.F. Rothschild Holdings, Inc.
When you have a large stake in the world’s central banks like the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, as well as these banks’ vast (almost complete) control of the world’s gold supply, you have a license to print money, literally.
Of course, there is no way to track this kind of wealth. The following website has a quote that the Rothschilds were worth $6 billion in 1850. The site estimates that, even at modest rates of return, the Rothschilds are worth at the very least $1.9 trillion today.
http://www.gold-eagle.com/gold_digest/markus112297.html
Gates may have a monopoly that is almost like printing money. However, nothing can beat actually printing money FOR REAL!
The benefit for the Rothschilds is that virtually no one would recognize them no matter where they go. The best of both worlds.
WELL,
If you are counting…
SOME oil company OWNERS, are making something like $6000 per hour 24/7 TAKE HOME… Do that times 40 years..52,560,000 per year..
21,024,000,000 in 40 years…NOT counting interest or investments….
WHO needs to rob a bank for that??
money doesn’t equal happyness
I’m sure he would like to enjoy the simple things in life with out being annoyed or treated differently.
Well with ballmer running microsoft he won’t have to worry about the being the richest man much longer. 🙁
I lived in a small town years ago with a guy with the last name of Forbes. He wasn’t rich but he would publish the poorest person in town usually with a few trailers (meaning 2nd, 3rd…) to make the article interesting. Nobody wanted to be on that list either.
the OIL comapny guys Have enough to BUY happiness…
Buy the island, FILL it with women, and put a Stip mall on it, and THEY will do anything for you.
Buy a CITY, and kick everyone out, because you dont like the noise.