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Bill Gates Drops To Number 2

Posted by kdawson on from the still-got-a-few-to-rub-together dept.

A number of readers made sure we know that Bill Gates is apparently no longer the world's richest person. His wealth, estimated currently at $59.2 billion, has been surpassed by that of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim. Slim, the son of a Lebanese immigrant, runs businesses in a number of industries from Mexico City. Stock in his wireless company, American Movil, recently surged in price by 27%, boosting his net worth to $67.8 billion. Last April Slim passed Warren Buffet, who had long held down the number 2 spot. In this audio Bill Gates says he won't care when he is no longer number 1.

13 of 388 comments (clear)

  1. As Q Would Say... by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Well, well. If it isn't number 2..."

  2. Re:Hmmm by wolf369T · · Score: 1, Funny

    I foretell.
    Better now?

  3. oh, drops TO number two! by hobo+sapiens · · Score: 5, Funny

    At first I thought it read "Bill Gates drops A number two".

    I though "man, is this a slow news day or what?!" and "Did he flush?"

    I guess it's time to get some sleep. Or stop smoking crack. Either way.

    --
    blah blah blah
  4. Re:So... by Don_dumb · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is a race where coming second or third (or even a hundred and third) is still winning.

    --
    If this were really happening, what would you think?
  5. QUICK ! by polar+red · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quick, let's all buy an overpriced vista ... we can still push him to #1

    --
    Yes, I'm left. You have a problem with that?
    1. Re:QUICK ! by eclectro · · Score: 2, Funny

      Luckily he does not need to rely on Vista sales. He just needs to dig the loose change out of the couch and he would be #1 again.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  6. Re:Bill Gates. Bankrupt? When? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    led here I did think,
    believing a haiku here,
    i was badly wrong

  7. Re:We still hate him by revengebomber · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wait til we rely on biotech to live past 150 years and we're colonizing space. There Gates will be, deciding who lives and who dies and charging everybody 50 cents to breathe. Think the people will wake up then? If so, do we want to wait until it's that bad before we start to resist? But do you want Air Ultimate or Air Premium?
    --
    09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  8. I'm quite sure Bill doesn't give a "number 2" by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Basically, why bother trying? Imagine you're rich. Not just rich, but super-duper rich. More money than you can sensibly spend in a lifetime. Would you care if there was someone richer by a few billion bucks? I wouldn't.

    At some point, money ceases to matter. When you have more than you can spend, there's a dividing point for people. Either they stop caring, and I think Bill did. Why else would he start a charity fund? Or they get even greedier and want MOAAAAAAR, with "getting money" becoming a reason to exist all by itself. Which is kinda sad (I've seen it in a few friends in the dot.com time).

    I doubt Bill falls in the latter category. I'm fairly sure he read it, shrugged and went on with his life. Being rich is not a matter of having more than the other rich guy. Just more than most others, so your money actually has some value. If everyone was rich, money would be useless.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  9. breathe in UAC breathe out UAC by bazorg · · Score: 5, Funny

    and you had better press "allow" really quick...

  10. Re:We still hate him by asliarun · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was working as a server in a restaurant, and when my brother let it leak that I was a computer geek A geek working in a restaurant... as a *server*

    How poetic!
  11. Re:Sigh by King+Rayray · · Score: 2, Funny

    Get a Mac and install Linux on it. :p

    --
    Always outnumbered, Never outgunned.
  12. I, for one... by msouth · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... have always considered him number 2.

    *bows*

    --
    Liberty uber alles.