Who is the best billionaire? (And why)

Akrasia · 20-05-2022 11:35pm #1

Simple question to people. Of all the dollar billionaire's in the world who do you think is the best and why?

Gregor Samsa · 20-05-2022 11:43pm

Bernard Arnault, French CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. Worth $160 billion - currently third richest person in the world.

He’s the best billionaire because you never hear a fücking thing about him, what he did or what he said.

sam t smith · 20-05-2022 11:48pm

Hank Scorpio gets my vote.

washman3 · 20-05-2022 11:48pm

As a fellow Limerick man i have to say JP McManus......😁

Ubbquittious · 20-05-2022 11:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092393#Comment_119092393

I think its in his interest to stay quiet. The average dope on the street does not know all the different luxury brands are owned by the same lad who is absolutely milking it. He can also get away with strengthening his monopoly because the competition authorities don't care too much about luxury goods

Mad Benny · 21-05-2022 12:02am

Chuck Feeney. A former billionaire who quietly gave his money away and Ireland was the biggest beneficiary.

Quantum Erasure · 21-05-2022 12:05am

Elon Musk, because...

https://mobile.twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1375033483148451842

21-05-2022 12:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092437#Comment_119092437

Yeah was gonna say the same. Started the whole duty free thing in Shannon I believe.

Akrasia · 21-05-2022 12:21am

Chuck Feeney seems like a good egg, but he's not a billionaire on account of him giving away all of his money

bazz26 · 21-05-2022 12:55am

me.

Gregor Samsa · 21-05-2022 7:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092410#Comment_119092410

He sells expensive stuff to rich people. He’s become richer than all of them by taking their own money. The average dope in the street doesn’t come into it at all. I’m not saying he’s a hero or anything, but if we are to pick the “best”billionaire and give a reason for it, I can’t think of a better answer.

Him owning a load of companies that make stuff no-one needs and sells them at prices most can’t afford - it doesn’t affect the average person in the slightest. Imagine he bought Bugatti tomorrow. Would it matter to you or me?

Donald Trump · 21-05-2022 7:46am

Ahem

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Leaves the Putster lagging far behind as second place bigliest billionaire President

dulpit · 21-05-2022 7:56am

The obvious answer is none of them. This fetishising and almost fandom of some billionaires (eg the tesla bros) is bizarre to me.

I remember seeing somebody suggest that you shouldn't be allowed accrue wealth beyond $1 billion. You stop at $999,999,999.99 and then get a cert to say you won at capitalism. Would be a better scenario than the accumulation of wealth that goes on now...

And sometimes I think people don't realise how much a billion is relative to even a million. Watch this...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8YUWDrLazCg&feature=youtu.be

CPTM · 21-05-2022 7:57am

Not sure.. The idea of having billionaires in a world with so much poverty doesn't sit well with me. I know they're not exactly sitting with billions of liquid cash to hand but all the yachts, islands, trips to space.. Something about that which is a bit grotesque I think.

SuperBowserWorld · 21-05-2022 8:30am

Bezos's ex who is giving away most of her fortune.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacKenzie_Scott

Shoog · 21-05-2022 8:34am

None, all billionaires built their fortunes on exploitation of their works, society and the environment. They are a scourge - a plague.

21-05-2022 8:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092727#Comment_119092727

A romantic idea but how could it work in the real world? Someone like Bill Gates grows Microsoft and as the company gets bigger, he has to give away more and more of his shares until he owns 1/2000 of the company?

Shoog · 21-05-2022 8:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092797#Comment_119092797

A CEO/founder/director is a very small part of an organization and his rewards should reflect that. Bill gates made his money by extracting rent from all PC manufacturers.

Wanderer78 · 21-05-2022 9:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092797#Comment_119092797

theres clearly a serious situation in the ownership of wealth, theres plenty of good ideas out there in trying to spread this wealth out, from the use of sovereign wealth funds etc, but our political systems are stuck, as wealth has done an amazing job of blocking the whole process up, and preventing this from happening. if we dont, we re probably all fcuked, including wealth and the wealthy. large corporations should be forced to spread this wealth more evenly amongst all employees and society as a whole, we could actually do it, the methods to do so already exist!

21-05-2022 9:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092806#Comment_119092806

That's simply not true. A good example is Lisa Su in AMD. Her worth to that company is greater than every single other person combined, which is fitting since she herself has "bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from MIT". An unreal turnaround led by her and her decisions.

There is an outrageous dismissal of these people's talents nowadays and it's based purely on this idea that they should not be compensated so well. That is fair. It is absurd. But that does not mean they are a "very small part of an organisation". That idea is even more absurd than their pay.

It is perfectly reasonable to acknowledge their importance and say they shouldn't be paid so well. That is a valid opinion.

MeisterG · 21-05-2022 9:24am

In my mind, there is definitely a distinction between the "corporate" billionaires and for want of a better word the "creative" billionaires.

JK Rowling, George Lucas, and Spielberg are or have been billionaires but it's not so clear-cut who they exploiting, as they are primarily supplying the "labour".

hayse · 21-05-2022 9:25am

Miriam o Callaghan

21-05-2022 9:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092873#Comment_119092873

Why does anyone need to be exploiting anyone?

21-05-2022 9:30am

For anyone who doubts the importance of CEOs, go have a look at what happened Kodak and Blockbuster. Under a different CEO, they'd have adapted and survived.

"very small part". What.

MeisterG · 21-05-2022 9:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092884#Comment_119092884

They don't but a common refrain is that "All billionaires made their fortunes on the backs of...." which I am saying I don't think is true (and these are cases in point)

Sleeper12 · 21-05-2022 9:39am

Sean Quinn is the best ex billionaire at helping to bankrupt a country

Wanderer78 · 21-05-2022 9:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092899#Comment_119092899

its virtually impossible to enrich oneself without the benefits of state and public supports.....

MrCostington · 21-05-2022 11:24am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119092727#Comment_119092727

Re the video, I'm not getting into his taxi :) Love his videos. I calculate his walk to 1mil at 100m, drive to 1bil at 100km.

A lot of begrudgery here, people forget the jobs created, OK I accept some offshore ones not so great, but even so they must be better then what the locals would otherwise have. And don't forget you are reading this on a device created by a billionaire, so you helped make them.

Montage of Feck · 21-05-2022 11:47am

Mansa Musa, made it the honest way by pillaging and enslaving.

Wanderer78 · 21-05-2022 12:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119093177#Comment_119093177

....and the jobs destroyed!

...cause places such as amazon are just such pleasurable workplaces!

....and a large proportion of technology was in fact created within publicly funded and publicly run institutions!

growleaves · 21-05-2022 12:41pm

Chuck Feeney simply bought public policy influence. He paid for a series of tendentious political programs to transform Ireland according to his own preferences.

First he tried to stay anonymous and then when a journalist was going to out him, he ran a media-assisted PR blitz presenting himself as a "charitable" "philanthropist".

He funded pro-legalisation campaigning for the marriage referendum. Well you may support or oppose that but it isn't charity or 'doing good', it's paying for a political cause you support. It's no different from British millionaires who pump money into the Tory party.

Who is the best billionaire? (And why)

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