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Bill Gates Drops To Number 2

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.

8 of 388 comments (clear)

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

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

  2. 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
  3. 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?
  4. 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?
  5. Re:Bill Gates. Bankrupt? When? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  6. 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.
  7. breathe in UAC breathe out UAC by bazorg · · Score: 5, Funny

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

  8. 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!