The Tangled Web Of Fiber Optics Lines & Gates

sdirector writes "Monday, super investor Warren Buffett jolted the nearly prostrate telecom industry by leading an investment of $500 million in Level 3 Communications ... Buffett's investment could set in motion a complex web of relationships and -- if you play it all out in just the right way -- put Bill Gates in charge of every fiber-optic line in the USA." The actual article itself is pretty interesting reading. Update: 07/12 08AM GMT by C :The link was broken, it has now been fixed. Sorry about that.

Comments

Note on slashdot posts

[roalt]

Note to all Readers: As of now all your postings are moderated by Bill Gates, owner of the internet in the US.

Re:Telecommunications Consolidation

[Derg]

I agree with this and other posts that state that the idea of Gates buying the L3/Qwest/WorldCom conglomorate from Buffet is quite a stretch, but if they have the "friendship" that is so highly touted in the article, it is possible that some really strange squence of events could lead to Gates owning it all, unintentionally.

Lets examine a senario.

Gates and Buffet. Chillin like a pair of penguins somewhere, way past toasted, playing various games of chance; for sake of argument lets make it Poker.(not entirely chance, but lets just say it is) Both are out of cash currency on there persons, so they start betting property, a car here, a chunk of stock there. So 'round bout middle of the night, both sh!tfaced beyond compare, each pulls a hand that they think the other cant beat. So Buffet says "I'll bet you my L3/Qwest/WorldCom to your Microsoft". Gates, never backing down from a challenge accepts, and wins with a pair of queens to Buffets hand of sh!t. Lackeys ever vigilent in the shadows shake hands andBAM!, All Bow Down To Gates, Owner Of The Free World.

or maybe not *shrug*