Category: Billionaires

  • Russian Entrepreneur Yuri Milner Wants to Probe Saturn’s Moons

    Russian Entrepreneur Yuri Milner Wants to Probe Saturn’s Moons

    Saturn’s moons have always been of great interest to NASA and other space exploration fans and have long been speculated as maybe having some kind of life. Russian billionaire entrepreneur Yuri Milner wants to probe Saturn’s ocean moon Enceladus and NASA have got his back.

    Yuri Milner wants to send a probe to Enceladus to search for evidence of life on the moon to challenge the notion that we are alone in the universe.

    Yuri Milner Wants to Launch a Private Mission

    When David Bowie sang the song “Is there life on Mars?”, he would’ve never thought it possible that there was more chance of life on moons orbiting Saturn. Russian entrepreneur and physicist Yuri Milner wants to make an audacious attempt to probe Saturn’s moons to search for life.

    Enceladus is a very small moon, just 500 kilometers across, but could be home to some form of life. Scientists believe that under the moon’s icy coating, there is a salty ocean that could contain some form of life, albeit very simplistic.

    It seems highly unlikely we are alone in the universe but are we alone in our own solar system? Yuri Milner and NASA think that maybe we’re not alone. With Enceladus being so far away, the mission will be extremely expensive, which is why both the Russian billionaire and NASA are combining forces to explore where no man, or woman, has gone before.

    Are we Alone in the Universe?

    The article in regards to Yuri Milner wanting to explore Saturn’s moons was published in the New Scientist earlier in November, however, the article is currently behind a paywall.

    Here is an extract from the article reported on by Mark Harris in the New Scientist:

    “Agreements signed by NASA and Milner’s non-profit Breakthrough Starshot foundation in September show that the organizations are working on scientific, technical and financial plans for the ambitious mission. NASA has committed over $70,000 to help produce a concept study for a flyby mission. The funds won’t be paid to Breakthrough but represent the agency’s own staffing costs on the project.”

    Although the project is still in its infancy, board member of the Breakthrough Starshot foundation include Facebook head-honcho Mark Zuckerberg and the late Stephan Hawkins.

    Are we alone? Probably not! But if NASA and Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner have their way, we could well get some answers to questions that have puzzled humankind for eons.

  • Thai “Billionaire” Jae Leng Injured by Monitor Lizard in Central Bangkok

    Thai “Billionaire” Jae Leng Injured by Monitor Lizard in Central Bangkok

    Thai mall operator Araya Lapshewasittichards, better known as Jae Leng, recently survived an encounter with a big monitor lizard in downtown Bangkok.

    The Baht-billionaire was on her morning bike ride in Lumpini Park when the massive lizard rambled in front of her. Despite giving the 1.5 meter long lizard lots of time to get out of her way, it stopped and refused to let her pass.

    Jae Leng reported that, “When I was sure that it wasn’t going to move, I started riding forward, and that’s when the lizard bumped into my bike!”

    Jae Lang Seems to be Fine

    After the 68-year old fell as a result of the lizard-impact, she required brief treatment at a local hospital. Despite some nasty looking bruising and five stitches, Jae Leng was released from the hospital within a day.

    She tweeted that, “Jae Leng is not afraid of anything … except monitor lizards,” which is totally understandable after her unfortunate encounter.

    While Jae Leng was the most recent person to have problems with monitor lizards in Lumpini Park, there have been issues with the giant reptiles in the past.

    In 2016 the local authorities removed at least 40 monitor lizards from the same park, after many cyclists complained about the risks they pose. Clearly, they were right about how dangerous monitor lizards can be.

    On to More Successes

    Araya Lapshewasittichards may have fallen down in the park, but she isn’t going to be taken out of the game by a big lizard. She has been working to build her retail empire for more than 30 years in Bangkok.

    Originally starting out in a small shophouse, the Chinese born Thai emigrant built up her retail business by offering Bangkok natives imported cosmetics and other luxury goods.

    Her ‘Jae Leng Plaza’ shopping centre was an outgrowth of this initial success, and as Bangkok has modernized, her location near Don Mueang has served Ms. Lapshewasittichards well. Even though she is approaching 70 years of age, she plans to develop the land that her affluence has afforded her all over Thailand.

    Jae Leng is thought to be worth more than 1 billion Thai baht, which is roughly $30 million USD at the time of writing.

    A Happy Result

    It is good to see a hard-working entrepreneur walk away from what could have been a serious accident, given the fact she sustained a head injury.

    Another Thai tycoon, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died at the end of October when the helicopter he was riding in crashed in the UK. He has also made his fortune in retail, and was famous for his duty-free empire.

    Mr. Srivaddhanaprabha was estimated to have a net worth of around $5 billion USD at the time of his death and owned UK Premier League club Leicester City.

  • Elon Musk Likely Moving to Mars, Even if it Kills Him

    Elon Musk Likely Moving to Mars, Even if it Kills Him

    Elon Musk recently said that if he is able to, he wants to move to the planet Mars.

    The iconoclastic billionaire seems to be well aware of the risks involved in what could be the biggest move ever undertaken in human history. Elon likened the big move to the Antarctic expectation that was led by Ernest Shackleton.

    He was quoted as saying, “Your probability of dying on Mars is much higher than earth. Really the ad for going to Mars would be like Shackleton’s ad for going to the Antarctic,” and that, “It’s going to be hard. There’s a good chance of death, going in a little can through deep space.”

    Elon Musk Seems Willing to Die for Mars

    Despite the risks involved, Elon Musk put the probability of a move to Mars at 70%. He didn’t say what had happened recently to stoke his enthusiasm, but he seems surer that a risky Mars mission is in the offering.

    A mission to the planet Mars would be very dangerous. Pretty much every step of the way would be into uncharted territory from an engineering standpoint, and one problem could kill everyone.

    Once on Mars, Elon thinks that they would spend all their time building a habitation. He doesn’t feel like many people would be interested in the risk and hardship, so the likelihood of a billionaire’s Mars club is slim.

    SpaceX is Going Strong

    Even with his decision to smoke cannabis on a popular podcast and ruffle some feathers at the US Air Force, Elon Musk seems to be taking SpaceX to the next level.

    The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule is set for a test launch in January of 2019. The capsule has been under development for many years, and this launch will finally give SpaceX a chance to see what their gear is capable of doing.

    Still Some Work to Do

    A far cry from being capable of traversing the space between Earth and Mars, The Crew Dragon capsule is designed to carry seven people into space. It could be used to move people to the international space station if the first tests are successful.

    For now, the launch of The Crew Dragon capsule will be done without humans aboard, as SpaceX has to prove the viability of the vehicle before it will be allowed to carry people into orbit. Boeing is also working on creating a competing vehicle, and may also launch it next year.

    Images from Shutterstock, Wikimedia, & Wikimedia 

  • Bet365 CEO Denise Coates Gets $281m Paycheck

    Bet365 CEO Denise Coates Gets $281m Paycheck

    Some say gambling doesn’t pay. BET365 CEO Denise Coates would beg to differ. The founder of the popular betting website pulled in a whopping paycheck of $281 million this year making her the highest paid CEO of a private company in the UK.

    Bet365 are one of the leading online bookies in the United Kingdom, which is a nation that loves to have a bet. The company has just had a very successful year as is evident with the paycheck of their founder and CEO.

    Happy Days for Bet365 CEO Denise Coates

    Although gambling is banned across many nations, especially across Asia, the bookie business continues to skyrocket in Great Britain. Figures released earlier this week from the past year from March 2017 to March 2018 show that Bet365 CEO Denise Coates raked in a salary of $281, which is 10% higher than the previous year.

    Although Denise Coates name wasn’t identified in the figures, Bet365 have received awards for having the highest paid director, which has pretty much spelled it out in capital letters.

    Not only does the figure put her at the top of the CEO list in the UK, but she also becomes one of the highest paid executives of a private company in the world. Her bank-busting yearly salary is actually higher than any CEO on the S&P Index of US public companies.

    Bet365 Billionaire Businesswoman

    Bet365 CEO Denise Coates is a powerful businesswoman and is listed as having a $5.8 billion fortune and currently owns over 50% shares in the business.

    The company is the second largest betting firm in the UK in terms of sales, second only to GVC Holdings Plc, who is also an online betting platform. Other notable online betting platforms in the UK are William Hill, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power.

    As the home of football, golf, cricket, horse racing, tennis and a myriad of other sports, the United Kingdom is one of Europe’s premium betting epicenters. Typically speaking, there are anywhere between 14 to 30 horse races per day in the UK, all centered around the betting industry.

    Bet356 saw massive profits last year rising over 31% to a total in the region of $800 million alone for the company.

    In some countries, high-end bookmakers are criminals, but in the UK, Bet365 CEO Denise Coates is a billionaire businesswoman, and rightly so!

    Featured image from The Times.

  • Ratan Tata GBE – India’s Real Money Maker for More Than Two Decades

    Ratan Tata GBE – India’s Real Money Maker for More Than Two Decades

    Ratan Tata GBE Indian IndustrialistRatan Tata GBE, born 1937, was the chairman of the Indian conglomerate, Tata Group, from 1991 to 2012. He also held the position for four months between 2016 and 2017. During his time as chairman annual revenue grew from $5.7 billion to more than $100 billion. His personal wealth is believed to be just shy of $1 billion. Despite the meteoric rise of the Tata Group during his stewardship Ratan Tata doesn’t really get the recognition he deserves. The main reason for this is due to the way that the Tata Group has been structured.

    This year the conglomerate is celebrating 150 years since it was founded by Jamsetji Tata back in 1868. The holding company of the Tata Group is Tata Sons. The holding company is as old as the trading company with two-thirds of the shares belonging to charitable trusts. The two biggest trusts, with over 50% of the shares are the Sir Dorabji Tata and Allied Trusts and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

    Tata Philanthropic Trusts

    Dorabji and Ratan were the two sons of the Tata Sons founder, Jamsetji Tata. Ironically Dorabji and Ratan both died without any sons to pass the business on to. The Trusts that were created after they died are amongst the oldest philanthropic Trusts in India. Sir Ratan Tata (1871 – 1918), not to be confused with Ratan Tata GBE, and his brother Dorabji were both knighted in the days of the British Empire. Whereas Ratan Tata GBE received his honorary “knighthood” in 2014, long after the fall of the British Empire.

    The Tata family have been leading philanthropists for more than 100 years with a focus on education and medicine. In 1941 the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust set up the Tata Memorial Centre in Mumbai and other notable donations have included:

    $50 million awarded to Cornell University in 2008, the University Ratan Tata GBE graduated from.

    “The endowment consists of $25 million to establish the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition, which will contribute to advances in nutrition and agriculture for India; and $25 million for the Tata Scholarship Fund for Students from India, to help attract more of the best and brightest students to Cornell from India.”

    $50 million awarded to the Harvard Business School (HBS) to build Tata Hall. Ratan Tata also graduated from the Advanced Management Program at HBS in 1975. Tata Hall was constructed as an academic and residential building for executive education.

    Other well-known philanthropists like Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have tended to amass their fortunes and then distribute their wealth to good causes. For Tata, the philosophy has always been to benefit the employees and the society as a whole rather than its Directors. Hence the two-third ownership of Tata Sons by the Charitable Trusts.

    Tata Brands

    Tata founder, Jamsetji Tata, set up the business to trade tea and opium with China. In 2000 Tata expanded their tea business when it purchased the inventor of the Tea Bag, Tetley. At the time it was the largest international takeover in history by an Indian company. Ratan Tata said of the Tetley takeover:

    “It was a momentous occasion for the company and a bold move which he hoped other Indian companies would follow.”

    Tata has been involved in steel production in India since 1907 and in 2007 Ratan oversaw the purchase of UK based Corus for $12 billion. In 2008 he was also involved in the acquisition of global brands Jaguar cars and Land Rover for $2.3 billion. Ratan is also responsible for the “$2,000” Tata Nano, at the time the world’s cheapest motor vehicle.

    Interesting Facts About Ratan Tata GBE

    Like his namesake Sir Ratan Tata and Sir Dorabji Tata he has no sons and has never married but came close on four separate occasions. He qualified as an Architect from Cornell University and is also a qualified pilot. Ratan has his own private jet, a Falcon 2000. He was also the first Indian to fly a supersonic F-16 Falcon jet.

    Ratan Tata GBE has an impressive collection of motor vehicles. Which is not too surprising based on his previous control of Tata Motors, Tata Daewoo, Land Rover, and Jaguar. His fleet of vehicles includes a red (his favorite color) Ferrari California, Maserati Quattroporte, a red Cadillac XLR convertible, Chrysler Sebring, and a red Jaguar F-Type convertible.

    During his career, he has received a plethora of awards with honorary doctorates from Universities across the globe. These include Ohio State, Warwick, Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon, York (Canada) and New South Wales. In addition to the GBE, he received from the UK he also holds the following titles:

    • Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
    • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)
    • Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Italy).

    Ratan received the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus by the Tata Board in 2012. He technically falls well short of the top 10 richest people in India. However, based on his impressive record as Chairman of Tata he is regarded by many as one of India’s leading industrialists.

    Featured image from Shutterstock.

  • Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa Backs First PGA Golf Tour Event in Japan

    Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa Backs First PGA Golf Tour Event in Japan

    After many years of trying to get a PGA Tour event, Japan has finally secured its first official tournament. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is over the moon and will be the first sponsor and main backer for the event.

    The Japanese fashion specialist Maezawa founded the popular website Zozotown but is more famously known in his native land for attempting to become the first commercial passenger to try to fly around the moon. Get your heads around that one!

    PGA Tour Golf Event in Japan

    The Japanese are golf-crazy, so the announcement of the first-ever PGA Tour golf event in Japan is massive news across the Orient. The tournament will take place between October 24-27 in 2019 as the PGA Tour swings through the far east with other tournaments planned for China and South Korea.

    Talking with a translator on Tuesday at a press conference in a central Tokyo hotel, Japanese billionaire Yusaka Maezawa was extremely upbeat not only about the event but also in regards to going to the moon:

    “I think this will be the first PGA Tour sponsor that is going to the moon. I haven’t decided who I will take to the moon with me yet. I would like to talk to many people with an open mind.”

    The new PGA Tour golf event in Japan is part of a six-year deal and will run in conjunction with golf’s high profile in the country in the lead-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The event will replace the current Malaysian event on the PGA Tour.

    The Popularity of Golf in Japan

    Did you know that 10 million people in Japan play golf? That’s almost 10% of the population. The main problem the Japanese have always had is they are limited in terms of space and golf courses.

    There are only 2,450 golf courses in Japan, which is minute when compared to the number of players. This is why so many Japanese visit major golf tours destinations across the world. Most Japanese golfers never get to play on a course and are relegated to lofty driving ranges on top of buildings in major cities such as Tokyo.

    Japanese billionaire Yusaka Maezawa is not the only person who can’t contain his excitement since the announcement of the PGA Tour golf Japanese event. Japanese golfers Hideki Matsuyama and Isao Aoki were also sat next to Maezawa at the press conference. Aoki, who is now 76 and was the first Japanese golfer to win a PGA tour event was quoted as saying:

    “Finally this day has come. If I were younger, I’d like to play in a PGA tournament in Japan. I wish this day had come earlier.”

    The event will be called the Zozo Championship and will be a 78 strong field with a purse of $9.75 million. There will also be a further 10 Japanese players who will be allowed to play the event to give it a local appeal.

    Featured image from the Valdosta Daily Times.

  • Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Plans New Refineries in World’s Fastest Growing Oil Market

    Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Plans New Refineries in World’s Fastest Growing Oil Market

    India is on track to be the world’s fastest-growing market for oil, according to the IEA. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries may invest as much as $10 billion USD into a new refining train at their Jamnagar complex, which is located in the Gujarat state of India.

    Ambani’s move seems to be a positive for India’s largest company measured by market cap. Reliance overtook Tata Consultancy Services last week as the biggest in India, with a market cap of around Rs 7,06,574 crore. That is around $100 billion USD, depending on the exchange rate.

    The expansion at Jamnagar could boost output at the complex by 50%. Reliance isn’t the only company that is interested in leveraging the rising demand for petroleum in India. Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., and Russia’s Rosneft PJSC are all interested in expanding refining operations in India as well.

    Reliance Industries Could be Diversifying

    This isn’t the first time that Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries is considering an expansion at Jamnagar. The company first talked about more refining capabilities back in 2013, but they pivoted to their telecom and petrochemical divisions instead.

    The planned expansion at Jamnagar would allow the plant to process around 30 million tons of crude oil a year. Saudi Aramco and ADNOC’s proposed west-coast refinery would process double that annually, which should demonstrate the optimism the global energy giants have for future demand in India.

    Reliance’s plan is still being discussed and would have to meet environmental standards before construction could begin. According to a source cited by Bloomberg, construction could start as soon as 2020.

    The Market Loves It

    Reliance stock is still down from the highs it hit over the summer, but it has risen more than 20% on a year-over-year basis. The announced expansion plans at Jamnagar seemed to fuel a gain of more than 2% in RIL shares, which seems to follow investor enthusiasm for more oil refining capacity in India.

    Abdul Aziz Al Hajri, the director of ADNOC’s Downstream Directorate, told media last week that, “India is a very strategic market for us and we have strategic government-to-government relations. We expect demand for petrochemicals to grow in the coming years that would help our business.”

    ADNOC and Saudi Aramco are pumping more than $40 billion USD into the Ratnagiri refinery and petrochemicals complex, which is located in Maharashtra.

    The two Arab companies will own 50% of the refinery, via a new vehicle called, “Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL),” with the remaining stake owned by national companies like Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Indian Oil Corporation, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.

    Oil Prices Fall

    Crude oil prices have been under major selling pressure lately. Both WTI and Brent crude prices have fallen by more than 25% since October. Indian crude oil imports are one of the only bullish factors for the oil price right now.

    Recent trade data shows that India has been importing 5 million barrels of oil per day, which is a record high amount. WTI prices are still trading under $65 USD/barrel, which puts India in a good position to import oil going forward.

    Image from DNA India

  • Inventor Billionaire James Dyson Buys $74m New York Penthouse

    Inventor Billionaire James Dyson Buys $74m New York Penthouse

    British inventor billionaire James Dyson between constructing electric cars in Singapore and ensuring the universe has a clean floor is buying up New York penthouses worth $74m. From a dusty floor to penthouse panorama!

    The Dyson vacuum cleaner inventor extraordinaire has purchased a stunning and palatial 9,138-square-foot penthouse on 520 Park Avenue in New York for a reported $73.8 million.

    James Dyson at the Top of New York

    The British inventor revolutionized the world of cleanliness around the turn of the century with his bag-less vacuum cleaners that pretty much took the world by storm. He has become the poster boy of house-cleaners and OCD patients the world over.

    The New York Post has reported that the inventor has purchased the Park Avenue penthouse that comes equipped with six-bedrooms. The property has a balcony that is 279-square-feet, which is larger than most people’s studio apartments in the city.

    The penthouse enjoys staggering 360-degree views of the city and is situated close to Dyson’s main store in New York on East 60th Street.

    Still Pushing the Boundaries of Innovation

    The 71-year-old British inventor might be getting towards the twilight years of his life, but he still has the thirst for invention and innovation.

    James Dyson is listed on Forbes for having a net worth of $5.3 billion and was even ranked on their rich list in 321st place. But he is not hanging up his Inspector Gadget hat just yet.

    MoneyMakers reported in October that the vacuum cleaner aficionado was delving headlong into the construction of electric cars. He even took some flack in the British media because he was a Brexit supporter who has now moved the majority of his electric car manufacturing business to Singapore.

    With the electronic car industry now becoming big business, Dyson is looking to challenge the likes of Elon Musk to become a major player over the next few years.

    As it stands, James Dyson already has over 12,000 employees across the globe, mainly in the vacuum cleaner and electric car industries. 4,800 of those employees are in the United Kingdom, which shows he is still very much committed to his homeland.

    However, with the acquisition of his new $74 million 530 Park Ave. Penthouse, he will probably be spending more time in the Big Apple as opposed to sucking pieces of it from off the floor.

    Featured image from the official Dyson website.

  • 14 of the Most Extravagant Gifts Given by Rich People in the Last Two Decades

    14 of the Most Extravagant Gifts Given by Rich People in the Last Two Decades

    Rich people have lavish lifestyles and eccentric hobbies. They also make extraordinary purchases when it comes to the art of gifting. Some of them like to spend their money on themselves while others prefer to spend it on their friends and family.

    While the Taj Mahal, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, remains one of the most admired gifts in the world, rich people in the last two decades have tried to surpass it by splurging on luxurious yachts and private jets.

    It’s safe to assume that these people weren’t shopping on a budget because some of these presents are extremely impressive.

    The Most Extravagant Gifts Given by Rich People

    1. Art Collection Worth Over $1.5 Billion

    Russian-Israeli businessman Roman Abramovich has a net worth of $11.5 billion. After getting married to art collector Dasha Zhukova in 2008, he began showering her with gifts worth more than $1.5 billion.

    Abramovich gifted her a $14 million Alberto Giacometti sculpture, paintings from artists Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud worth a total of $119 million, and 40 paintings from Russian-American artist Ilya Kabakov for $30 million to $60 million each.

    2. The $1 Billion Wedding

    Via: Daily Mail

    Russian entrepreneur Mikhail Gutseriev reportedly spent $1 billion on the wedding of his son, Said Gutseriev, in 2016. The wedding included performances from singers such as Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, and Sting.

    The tycoon (worth $4.2 billion) paid Lopez around $1 million to sing some of her famous songs at the party. The bride’s dress, designed by acclaimed fashion designer Elie Saab, is rumored to have cost around $1 million, whereas her tiara was bought for almost $5.71 million.

    3. An $84 Million Yacht

    Via: Telly Update

    Anil Ambani is the youngest son of Indian business magnate Dhirubhai Ambani and has a net worth of $2.2 billion. He bought a luxury yacht Tian worth $84 million for his wife, Tina Ambani, in 2008.

    News websites called it sibling rivalry because Ambani bought this yacht a year after his brother, Mukesh Ambani, gifted a $60 million jet to his wife. Tian was built in Italy at a cost of €34 million ($38.83 million). It is 34 meters long and hosts six rooms, a dining room, and multiple cabins.

    4. A $60 Million Luxury Jet

    Via: The Bridal Box

    Mukesh Ambani is India’s richest man with a net worth of $44.2 billion. He also owns the world’s most expensive building, costing more than the Buckingham Palace, Antilia valued at $1 billion.

    In 2007, Ambani gifted a luxury jet worth $60 million to his wife, Nita Ambani. It has a master bedroom, an office, and a bar. His daughter, Isha Ambani, is set to get married in December 2018 in a lavish wedding. It is expected that he will shower her with lavish gifts — tabloids have already reported that her wedding invites are worth 30 crore INR ($41,791) each.

    5. A $40 Million Private Jet

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BcluoKenewP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Beyoncé Knowles, the famous singer who has won 22 Grammy awards, surprised her rapper husband, Jay-Z, with a $40 million private jet on Father’s Day in 2012.

    The Bombardier Challenger 850 airplane has a seating area with enough space for 16 people, a spacious living room with cream leather sofas, a five-star kitchen, a bedroom, and two bathrooms. The couple uses the jet for family trips as well as their world tours.

    6. $8 Million Bulgari Necklace

    Via: E! Online

    Football superstar David Beckham gifted his wife, Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice), an $8 million Bulgari necklace at Valentine’s Day in 2006.

    The necklace is made up of rubies and diamonds and is rumored to have been designed by Beckham. It is just another addition to her jewelry collection which already has 14 engagement rings. Some of these rings include a three-carat marquise-cut diamond ring worth $85,000 and a pink champagne colored diamond ring reportedly worth $1.1 million.

    7. A $5 Million Hublot Watch

    Via: Luxois

    On Jay-Z’s 43rd birthday, Beyoncé gave him a $5 million Hublot watch. With a net worth of $355 million, the singer knew she wanted the most expensive watch for her husband.

    It’s encrusted with 1,282 diamonds and was first shown at the 2012 world watch and jewelry show ‘BaselWorld’. Jay-Z has previously praised Hublot by using the brand’s name in one of his songs. He even collaborated with Hublot in 2013 to release the Shawn Carter collection.

    8. $2.2 Million Worth Gold Bathtub

    Via: Daily Mail

    Former boxer Mike Tyson gifted a $2.2 million 24-carat gold bathtub to his first wife, actress Robin Givens.

    This gift was a huge gesture of Tyson’s love for his wife, but it wasn’t enough to save their marriage. The couple got divorced in 1989. Tyson, who already owned 3 white Bengal tigers worth $70,000 each, went on to file for bankruptcy in 2003 when he was $23 million in debt.

    9. A $2 Million Sports Car

    Via: The Irish Times

    Before Beyoncé treated her husband with a private jet and a diamond-encrusted watch, she gave him a $2 million sports car on his birthday.

    The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport joined Jay-Z’s luxurious collection of cars in 2010. He also owns a Maybach Exelero, a Pagani Zonda F, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Ferrari F430 Spider, and a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. These cars are worth a total of $15 million.

    10. A Vineyard in Napa Valley

    14 engagement rings weren’t enough for David Beckham to declare his love for Victoria Beckham as the loving husband bought his wife a vineyard too.

    Located in Napa Valley, news websites claimed that the footballer may have spent a ‘seven-figure sum’ to buy this land. The news of the purchase broke out after the couple was photographed in the vineyard alongside celebrity friends Tom Cruise, Kate Beckinsale, Seal, and Katie Holmes.

    11. A $1.6 Million Helicopter

    Back when actors Angeline Jolie and Brad Pitt were still married, she used to surprise him with the most creative gifts. In 2012, she bought a waterfall in California as well as a $1.6 million helicopter for her husband.

    Chateau Miraval, the couple’s house in France where they also hosted their wedding, already had a helipad. So, Jolie decided to give Pitt the helicopter along with some flying lessons.

    12. 14 $1 million Cheques for Friends

    Academy Award winner George Clooney is extremely thankful to 14 of his friends for helping him in the beginning of his career. In order to show his gratitude, he gave $1 million in cash to each one of these friends in separate suitcases in 2013.

    Clooney also paid their taxes so that they could take the entire amount. According to American entrepreneur Rande Gerber, the $1 million amount was gifted in $20 bills. According to E! Online, Gerber gave his share to a charity later.

    13. $1 Million Cash in a Louis Vuitton Suitcase

    Via: Daily Mail

    American rapper and Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman discovered Lil Wayne when he was nine years old. Even though the duo had some conflicts in the past, Birdman once gifted the rapper with $1 million in cash in a $2,140 Louis Vuitton suitcase.

    Birdman presented this amount to Lil Wayne on his money-themed birthday party in 2008. Party-goers reported that the latter was left speechless by this gesture.

    14. A $1 Million Cheque on Mother’s Day

    Rapper Kanye West gave his wife, reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, a $1 million cheque as well as shares in his company Adidas Yeezy on Mother’s Day.

    West sent over the gifts after his wife agreed not to post a sponsored picture of another brand for a million dollars. He also wrote her a thank you note in the envelope that contained the cheque. He has previously given her a $35,000 Cartier panther bracelet and a $1 million Lorraine Schwartz diamond choker.

    Featured image from Shutterstock.

  • Mark Zuckerberg Loses $17.4 Billion, He’s Not the Only One

    Mark Zuckerberg Loses $17.4 Billion, He’s Not the Only One

    Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has lost $17.4 billion, suffering from Facebook’s reputation and share price this year. He’s not the only billionaire to lose out in 2018, but he’s currently the most famous and has certainly lost more than any other.

    Zuckerberg has dropped from being the third-richest person in the world to becoming the sixth richest, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. Zuckerberg now has a net worth of $55.3 billion.

    The Facebook founder has faced increasing criticism over the ongoing Cambridge Analytica data scandal and Facebook’s response to the apparent social media influence exerted by Russia in US elections.

    Data privacy is still an unresolved issue in the eyes of many global governments. Some seek answers over how their citizen’s personal information is handled and how Facebook will prevent illicit behavior in the future.

    Just two weeks ago the UK and Canadian Parliaments summoned Zuckerberg to personally answer their questions, in an unprecedented joint move.

    Facebook shares fell 3% on Friday to their lowest point since April 2017, and to a value of $139.53.

    Facebook Share Price Source: Google

    The latest fall in Facebook’s share price followed a call last week by four US Democratic senators to answer questions about Facebook’s use of contractors to spread “intentionally inflammatory information.”

    According to reports, Facebook had hired a consulting firm founded by Republican strategists as part of its response to the concerns over Russian meddling. The firm’s subsequent actions are under scrutiny.

    Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a major US political donor and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz has also donated over $35 million to Democratic and Liberal candidates and groups.

    Other Billionaires Losing Their Riches in 2018

    Amancio Ortega

    Retailer and owner of the Zara fashion chain, Amancio Ortega, has lost $9.49 billion in 2018 to date, as per Bloomberg, reducing his wealth to $65.9 billion.

    Ortega is the 5th richest person in the world and earns around $400 million in dividends each year.

    Carlos Slim

    Carlos Slim is Mexico’s richest man and owner of Latin America’s

    largest mobile telecommunications company America Movil.

    He’s lost $9.47 billion, taking his net worth down to $52.1 billion. Slim is the 9th richest man in the world.

    Jack Ma

    Billionaires in China, Jack Ma

    Alibaba Founder Jack Ma has also lost $6.67 billion in 2018, reducing his net worth to $38.8 billion.

    Ma is the richest person in China and the 19th richest person in the world.

    Alibaba last week led the most successful Singles’ Day shopping event yet, but that’s not likely to impact Ma’s wealth this year.

     

    Images from Forbes. Featured image by Shutterstock.