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I'm always surprised that more billionaires don't try interesting off the wall projects when they have so much money. What's the fun of having it, if you can't

by drpgq 13y ago

I'm always surprised that more billionaires don't try interesting off the wall projects when they have so much money. What's the fun of having it, if you can't have the occasional mad scientist moment.

rorrr2 13y ago
I'm more surprised that more billionaires don't build crazy monuments of themselves or just some crazy ones with their name on it.
- Shivetya 13y ago
  sadly that is what politicians do. as to billionaires and there use of money, I am more than happy how some of them turned their fortune into good use. the most obvious being Gates.
- JamesArgo 13y ago
  This was pretty common behaviour in Rome.
  - hissworks 13y ago
    "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
- swamp40 13y ago
  You mean like Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Ahyan: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016841/Al-Futaysi-island-Hamad-carves-2-miles-long-sand-visible-SPACE.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016841/Al-Futaysi-i...
  - samstave 13y ago
    WOW - he looks like an arabic George Bush.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
- podperson 13y ago
  One of North Korea's major exports is, apparently, giant statues of people. E.g. (sorry it's a WSJ link...) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703906204575027400440309756.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870390620457502...
- lifeformed 13y ago
  I hope all billionaires look at Batman for inspiration.
dfxm12 13y ago
The intersection of billionaires and people with the ability to try interesting, off the wall projects probably isn't very big.
- papercrane 13y ago
  I was just thinking, it's probably true that most people who try interesting off the wall projects don't become incredibly wealthy.
  - drgath 13y ago
    As Musk has stated, he was one more failed SpaceX launch from pretty much being bankrupt. As a "mad scientist", it's pretty easy to blow your money on ideas that don't quite pan out.
    - tokipin 13y ago
      which, on something of a tangent, is why i think government has a critical role to play
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
wissler 13y ago
It's rare that the creative types end up being billionaires. Note that even Steve Jobs was kicked out of his own company, and then later only barely squeaked into the CEO slot, and only because the company was about dead anyway. He'd never have gotten the job if Skulley hadn't screwed things up quite so bad.
- moomin 13y ago
  Yes, although I feel the need to point out Jobs wasn't the genius behind Apple in the early years, it was Wozniak. Different time, different man.
  - Permit 13y ago
    Yeah, if anything Steve Jobs was exactly the "business type" your parent is speaking about. “I was so close to Steve Jobs I could never really see the transition,” Wozniak said. “I just wanted to be in engineering only – I never wanted to run a company, never wanted to run things, step on other people – Steve very clearly did, and wanted to be a top executive and a really important thinker in the world.”[1] [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8956282/Steve-Wozniak-Steve-Jobs-deal-made-me-cry.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8956282/Steve-Woz...
  - wissler 13y ago
    I think Jobs is definitely a creative type, he had a clear and distinct vision that went beyond what most CEO's would ever dream of let alone approve to drive resources into. Being a creative type does not necessarily mean being an engineer.
    - moomin 13y ago
      Absolutely, but his vision (the Lisa) was the wrong vision at the time. He refined his vision at next (taking in a lot of other people's good ideas along the way) and returned to Apple at just the right time: when the average consumer was ready to pay a bit more for a refined product.
qwertzlcoatl 13y ago
Maybe they want to own a building for each one of their childrens children.
qwertzlcoatl 13y ago
Maybe they want to own a building for each one of their childrens children.
dm2 13y ago
Here's one: http://www.vice.com/read/russian-billionaire-dmitry-itskov-plans-on-becoming-immortal-by-2045 http://www.vice.com/read/russian-billionaire-dmitry-itskov-p... Anyone have a list of billionaire futurists?
whatusername 13y ago
In Australia we have Clive Palmer. He's building a replica Titanic and a mechatronic Jurassic Park. And now has his own Political party named after himself with candidates in every seat in the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Palmer_(businessman) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Palmer_(businessman)
- joonix 13y ago
  I don't see how these projects serve humanity.
cpeterso 13y ago
Science fiction author David Brin has some interesting suggestions for philanthropists looking to create a legacy, such as building a third-world university system, financing a freelance manned mission to Mars, or funding whistleblowers. http://www.davidbrin.com/eon.html http://www.davidbrin.com/eon.html

by drpgq 13y ago

rorrr2 13y ago

I'm more surprised that more billionaires don't build crazy monuments of themselves or just some crazy ones with their name on it.

Shivetya 13y ago
sadly that is what politicians do. as to billionaires and there use of money, I am more than happy how some of them turned their fortune into good use. the most obvious being Gates.
JamesArgo 13y ago
This was pretty common behaviour in Rome.
- hissworks 13y ago
  "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
swamp40 13y ago
You mean like Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Ahyan: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016841/Al-Futaysi-island-Hamad-carves-2-miles-long-sand-visible-SPACE.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2016841/Al-Futaysi-i...
- samstave 13y ago
  WOW - he looks like an arabic George Bush.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
podperson 13y ago
One of North Korea's major exports is, apparently, giant statues of people. E.g. (sorry it's a WSJ link...) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703906204575027400440309756.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870390620457502...
lifeformed 13y ago
I hope all billionaires look at Batman for inspiration.

dfxm12 13y ago

The intersection of billionaires and people with the ability to try interesting, off the wall projects probably isn't very big.

papercrane 13y ago
I was just thinking, it's probably true that most people who try interesting off the wall projects don't become incredibly wealthy.
- drgath 13y ago
  As Musk has stated, he was one more failed SpaceX launch from pretty much being bankrupt. As a "mad scientist", it's pretty easy to blow your money on ideas that don't quite pan out.
  - tokipin 13y ago
    which, on something of a tangent, is why i think government has a critical role to play

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

wissler 13y ago

It's rare that the creative types end up being billionaires. Note that even Steve Jobs was kicked out of his own company, and then later only barely squeaked into the CEO slot, and only because the company was about dead anyway. He'd never have gotten the job if Skulley hadn't screwed things up quite so bad.

moomin 13y ago
Yes, although I feel the need to point out Jobs wasn't the genius behind Apple in the early years, it was Wozniak. Different time, different man.
- Permit 13y ago
  Yeah, if anything Steve Jobs was exactly the "business type" your parent is speaking about. “I was so close to Steve Jobs I could never really see the transition,” Wozniak said. “I just wanted to be in engineering only – I never wanted to run a company, never wanted to run things, step on other people – Steve very clearly did, and wanted to be a top executive and a really important thinker in the world.”[1] [1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8956282/Steve-Wozniak-Steve-Jobs-deal-made-me-cry.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8956282/Steve-Woz...
- wissler 13y ago
  I think Jobs is definitely a creative type, he had a clear and distinct vision that went beyond what most CEO's would ever dream of let alone approve to drive resources into. Being a creative type does not necessarily mean being an engineer.
  - moomin 13y ago
    Absolutely, but his vision (the Lisa) was the wrong vision at the time. He refined his vision at next (taking in a lot of other people's good ideas along the way) and returned to Apple at just the right time: when the average consumer was ready to pay a bit more for a refined product.

qwertzlcoatl 13y ago

Maybe they want to own a building for each one of their childrens children.

qwertzlcoatl 13y ago

Maybe they want to own a building for each one of their childrens children.

dm2 13y ago

Here's one: http://www.vice.com/read/russian-billionaire-dmitry-itskov-plans-on-becoming-immortal-by-2045 http://www.vice.com/read/russian-billionaire-dmitry-itskov-p... Anyone have a list of billionaire futurists?

whatusername 13y ago

In Australia we have Clive Palmer. He's building a replica Titanic and a mechatronic Jurassic Park. And now has his own Political party named after himself with candidates in every seat in the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Palmer_(businessman) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Palmer_(businessman)

joonix 13y ago
I don't see how these projects serve humanity.

cpeterso 13y ago

Science fiction author David Brin has some interesting suggestions for philanthropists looking to create a legacy, such as building a third-world university system, financing a freelance manned mission to Mars, or funding whistleblowers. http://www.davidbrin.com/eon.html http://www.davidbrin.com/eon.html