Actually there was a correction to the story where this note was taken from. Leisure Suit Larry lost $36 billion, not the mere $16 billion as originally stated. So I guess that would be closer to 3 million VW's. http://cbs.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/newsarticle.asp?siteid=mktw&symb=&guid=%7BEEF4505F%2D79FC%2D46CA%2DAC85%2D6233B453221E%7D - Brian --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > ** A Moment Of Sympathy For Those Much More Fortunate > > Investors have had a hard time lately, as the stock markets > wallow at a fraction of the value they were a year ago, and the > Nasdaq regularly hits new lows. Fortunately, there's a little > solace for those who blew their vacation fund on a now-worthless > IPO or who passed out after checking their 401(k) balance. An > examination of some high-profile losers by the Reuters news > service and Thompson Financial analyst Kevin Schwenger may give > them company, if not sympathy. > > Take, for instance, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. His 700 > million shares in Microsoft halved in value during 2000--he lost > around $39 billion. That's enough to buy a 13-inch television for > every man, woman, and child in the United States. Or to buy more > than a thousand F-18E Super Hornet fighter jets. > > "It used to be that if a hundred-dollar bill dropped on the > ground, Bill Gates made so much money that it would not be > financially wise for him to take the time to pick it up," says > Wit Soundview analyst Arnie Berman. "That's now changed to where > he should pick up hundreds, but not fifties." > > Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer has been a little more fortunate, > losing only $12 billion. You could have bought 48 million copies > of Windows 2000 with that, Steve. But it wasn't just Microsoft > execs who took it in the wallet. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison could > own 1 million brand-new VW Beetles with the $16 billion he lost. > Theodore Waitt, CEO of Gateway, would have to work 900 million > hours at minimum wage to earn back his $4.7 billion loss. And > Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos saw his 117 million shares in the > online retail giant drop in value more than 84%, to a trifling > $1.2 billion, killing his ability to buy everyone in Mexico a > Razor scooter. > > But temper your schadenfreude. Berman reminds us that > sinking stock values mean more than just reduced personal wealth. > He points out that when a stock becomes less valued, it can make > it harder for a company to make acquisitions and attract strong > employees through stock offers. - David M. Ewalt > -- > Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com > -- > Author: > INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 > San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing > Lists > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message > to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in > the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L > (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may > also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing). __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ -- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com -- Author: Brian Wisniewski INET: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fat City Network Services -- (858) 538-5051 FAX: (858) 538-5051 San Diego, California -- Public Internet access / Mailing Lists -------------------------------------------------------------------- To REMOVE yourself from this mailing list, send an E-Mail message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (note EXACT spelling of 'ListGuru') and in the message BODY, include a line containing: UNSUB ORACLE-L (or the name of mailing list you want to be removed from). You may also send the HELP command for other information (like subscribing).
