Bill Gates lost $1.1 billion Friday

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Or so says my local paper this morning. It’s based on the stock market’s bloodbath Friday and his 741.7 million shares in Microsoft.

Charles Schwab only lost a measly $258.4 million (based on his shares of his investment corporation). And Jeffrey P. Bezos, chairman and CEO of Amazon.com, only lost $243.1 million.

Can you imagine having enough money to lose more than a billion dollars in a day?

Incidentally, the same article says Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, made $570 million Friday.

Howdy doo dat?

“We are here for this – to make mistakes and to correct ourselves, to withstand the blows and to hand them out.” Primo Levi

2

I wish I could feel his pain.

3

Opus, I will grant your wish.

You now owe me 1.1 billion dollars. I will accept real estate, automobiles, slavery, and kidneys. You have 48 hours to say goodbye to your loved ones before reporting to my super secret island headquarters.

4

$1.1 billion Friday? Thats nothing, last week it was on one day about $12 billion for Gates.

5

:eek: Okay let me qualify that: I wish I had 741.7 million shares in Microsoft so that I could feel his pain.

One percent? Did anyone check the closets?

6

HA HA!
just kidding… but he must be kicking himself right now!

Check out my site:
Chief’s Domain

7

My father worked for a man who was worth $5 million in 1929. When the Stock Market crashed, he lost $1 million & lost his mind! A basket case from then on, even though he still had $4 million! Has anyone seen Bill?

Carl

8

‘Has anyone seen Bill?’ Yeah, he is on tv every night saying the ‘best is yet to come’
really.

9

Bill does his commercials live???

10

“Lost” money? Ha!

It’s not like you can get on your hands and knees in Washington and possibly find BG’s missing $11.1 Billion.

Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination.

11

Awww, lets all bow our heads and express our extreme sorrow at billy boy’s loss.
…
Done.

12

I see Microsoft [msft] at a high of about $120/share from their year chart. Now they are about $74/share.

I wonder what monday is going to bring?

13

I wonder how much Michael Masterson lost? :wink:

–In France I’m considered a genius.

14

The opinion from a couple of ‘tech watchers’ is that Microsoft has already peaked, and there isn’t much to look forward to from them.

Still, Gates did okay. He bought this idea from a physician, and mass marketed it to Americans just as well or better than Madonna marketed her music.

So what could a few billion loss mean, anyway?

lindsay

15

I wondered about the too Spoke. He talked about Qualcomm [sp] a lot…hmmmm

Silicon Valley [?] is a video out, rated G, pretty cool true story-like thing.

16

handy,

I presume that you’re talking about the movie The Pirates of Silicon Valley.

17

A billion here, a billion there. Before long you’re talking about real money.

18

Can you imagine. Bill comes home to his wife. “Oh honey I just lost 11 billion and another 5 billion at poker.”

“Oh great how are we supposed to make do with only 30 billion”

19

I had a tiff with the wife over this topic. My contention is that Gates lost nothing. You don’t lose or make money in stock until you sell it. Sure, the value of his portfolio is down, but so what? His total liquid assets are pretty much unchanged, unless he decided to go out Saturday and buy Switzerland.

Stock value is a polite fiction held between investors. MSFT could zoom up to $1,0000/share today; it wouldn’t affect Gates’ total worth UNLESS HE SELLS SOME SHARES!

Of course, my wife’s arguement was that I was being needlessly nitpicky and patronizing. Wife 1, me 0. When will I learn?

It’s my duty; my duty as a complete and utter bastard.–Arnold J. Rimmer.

20

Guy Propski, you have a point. Its just on paper. Just a paper thing, that is all.

But get this, they also pay Gates a salary. lol. I don’t remember the exact amount but it didn’t seem all that much.