#Bezos Financial News

[reviewsduniya]

Jeff Bezos's Net Worth in 2024

Explore Jeff Bezos’s Net Worth in 2024, featuring an in-depth breakdown of his salary—revealing the precise figure that shapes his wealth and also career highlights, income sources, investments, personal life, and prospects. It effectively delves into Jeff Bezos’s background, achievements, and challenges and provides valuable insights into his financial journey.  Gain unparalleled insights into…

[shelleysmary]

gotta laugh at everyone who has ever said that "~unLiKE tHe pEtEr jACkSoN fILmS~ the trop people don't care about tolkien, don't care about middle-earth, it's a soulless adaptation for the money just because amazon is behind it" because (and i say this while also saying fuck amazon, fuck jeff bezos. it goes without saying - two things can be true at the same time, i can't believe it bears repeating)

how do you think films and television get made?? hate to break it to you, but it's all for the money. new line cinema didn't say "we love tolkien, pj, let's do this for free!" they were literally looking for a franchise hit when they decided to take the films over from miramax - which is exactly what every studio and their mom is trying to do now!!! it's movie business, baby! to say the people behind trop - the actors, the casting directors, the production designers, the vfx artists, the art directors, the armorers, the costume designers, the set decorators, the makeup artists, the ADs, the carpenters, painters, prop-makers, steelworkers, laborers, animal handlers, sound editors, miniature builders, stuntpeople, craftspeople, movement and dialect coaches, trainers, lighting techs, jewelers, etc. - don't care about the story they're telling???? is a wild reach. obviously they work for the showrunners who work for amazon who care the most about making a profit, but so did peter jackson and new line!! wanting your project to be financially and critically successful is not an inherently evil thing, come on guys, are you still buying into the starving artist fallacy 😭

there are tons of little nods to the silmarillion and other parts of the legendarium in the rings of power. yes, there are also changes and goofs, but lotr and the hobbit film trilogies also had their fair share of changes and goofs. i just think that "these people didn't read the books/this is just a money grab/pj & co. cared about the source material while these losers clearly don't" are tired arguments used to justify subjective opinions, not to mention the way it reeks of revisionist history considering the way tolkien purists initially took great issue with deviations made in lotr and especially the hobbit.

it's almost like...the most hated tolkien adaptation is ever the current one.

[gunsandspaceships]

How rich is Tony Stark?

Throughout his superhero career, Tony's net worth in the MCU has always been between $10 and $20 billion. How much is that? Let's talk about Tony Stark's real financial resources and purchasing power.

The numbers themselves don't tell us anything, so we'll compare. Some real billionaires are much richer than him (Elon Musk - $210 billion, Jeff Bezos - $195 billion, Bill Gates - $129 billion). Huge difference, don't you think?

Let's list Tony's expenses: he founded and funded Damage Control. He covered the cost of the destruction caused not only by the Avengers, but by everyone they fought. He funded scientific projects and charitable foundations. He covered all the Avengers' expenses (compound, equipment, tech, vehicles, quinjets, food, medical and legal services, staff, team members' salaries, etc.). He made Iron Man suits and equipment for himself, Peter, Rhodey, and later Pepper. It takes a LOT of money to cover all of this. And it's all pure expense. He didn't make any profit from it.

Reminder: He's not nearly as rich as Musk, Bezos or Gates. How much can these guys do, buy and finance? Less than you think. Now divide by 10 to get an idea of ​​how much Tony could.

I'll help you: we'll count in Helicarriers. Let's say Tony had $20 billion (that's max). The price of one real aircraft carrier is 13 billion dollars. Helicarriers, even the basic ones (from The Avengers and AoU), are much more advanced (they fly, have retro-reflective panels that cover them entirely, and have a fancy interior with expensive equipment on board). It will cost much more. Let's give it a price tag of $20 billion. That is - Tony could only buy 1 Helicarrier and get $0 in his bank accounts.

Or another example: how much did the Battle of New York cost? Secretary Ross showed us - $88 billion in property damage. Tony would need another $70 billion to cover the cost of this one battle.

BUT let me tell you, his $10-20 billion isn't even real money. It's net worth. He would never have seen that $10-20 billion in cash or been able to use it. Because these are assets: shares and property he had. He would have to sell them, then pay taxes, and only then would he see the actual amount of money he could use. Which is about half of the net worth - $5-10 billion. Thus, his purchasing power would amount to a small insignificant fraction of the Battle of New York, or 0 Helicarriers, or even 0 real-life aircraft carriers. That's it. This is why the Avengers never had their own Helicarrier - Tony COULD NOT AFFORD ONE.

He didn't have unlimited resources. He couldn't buy everything. Stop imagining him as Scrooge McDuck. He had to work several jobs to provide for the team and protect the Earth. Alone. Where were Thor and Black Panther's resources?

Conclusion: no, Tony wasn't that rich. He worked his butt off to be a wallet of Earth's protection, in addition to being its shield. Remember that.

[reasonsforhope]

"A net-zero power system is closer than we think.

New research, published by RMI, indicates that an exponential surge in renewable energy deployment is outpacing the International Energy Agency’s most ambitious net-zero predictions for 2030. 

That’s right: Surging solar, wind, and battery capacity is now in-line with net-zero scenarios. 

“For the first time, we can, with hand on heart, say that we are potentially on the path to net zero,” Kingsmill Bond, Senior Principal at RMI, said. “We need to make sure that we continue to drive change, but there is a path and we are on it.”

And that’s really good news.

Exponential growth in renewable energy has put the global electricity system at a tipping point. What was once seen as a wildly daunting task — transitioning away from fossil fuels — is now happening at a faster pace every year. 

Based on this new research, conducted in partnership with the Bezos Earth Fund, RMI projects that solar and wind will supply over a third of all global electricity by 2030, up from about 12% today, which would surpass recent calls for a tripling of total renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade. 

Global progress in the renewable energy sector

China and Europe have been leading the way in clean energy generation, but the deployment of renewable energy has also been widely distributed across the Middle East and Africa. 

Research from Systems Change Lab shows that eight countries (Uruguay, Denmark, Lithuania, Namibia, Netherlands, Palestine, Jordan, and Chile) have already grown solar and wind power faster than what is needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C, proving that a swift switch to renewable energy is not only feasible — it’s entirely achievable. 

In order to make that switch, globally, wind and solar need to grow from 12% to 41% by 2030. Denmark, Uruguay, and Lithuania have already achieved that increase in the span of eight years.

Meanwhile, Namibia, the Netherlands, Palestine, Jordan, and Chile have grown solar and wind energy at sufficient rates for five years...

The economic impact of climate progress

Not only is this an exciting and unprecedented development for the health of the environment, but this rapid transition to clean energy includes widespread benefits, like jobs growth, more secure supply chains, and reductions in energy price inflation. 

This progress spans both developing and developed countries, all driven to accelerate renewables for a number of different reasons: adopting smart and effective policies, maintaining political commitments, lowering the costs of renewable energy, and improving energy security. 

And with exponential growth of clean energy means sharp declines in prices. This puts fossil fuels at a higher, uncompetitive cost — both financially and figuratively. 

RMI suggests that solar energy is already the cheapest form of electricity in history — and will likely halve in price by 2030, falling as low as $20/MWh in the coming years. This follows previous trends: solar and battery costs have declined 80% between 2012 and 2022, and offshore wind costs are down 73%."

-via Good Good Good, July 12, 2023

Let me repeat that:

For the first time in history, we are on an actual, provably achievable path to net zero emissions

[skippyv20]

the new circle

looking at bozos, he seems to have lost his mind. he’s always following LS around. Does he ever spend time with his kids?

what LS? does she ever spend time with her kids?

harry and meghan just make me wanna puke, especially harry.

I feel that this new association with the smug LS, is just the beginning.

They have reached the circles of the bozos, like Oprah and Gefen and Bezos.

Oprah knows Bezos, so don’t be surprised about the behind the scenes string pulling. And she’s also friends with Travolta.

I feel those woke rich folks are going to take care Harry and meg financially. So, all those reports of being broke, is just a joke.

They’ll take care of them as an f u to the royal family.

The public just needs to tune them out.  I wish that I can cancel Amazon, but I get most of my stuff from there.

I think it is highly unlikely the evil duo will be friends with any of them…they aren’t rich enough😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[kp777]

By Ralph Nader

Common Dreams - Opinion

Aug. 18, 2024

It is up to you the citizens to demand such investigations by your senators and representatives.

Twenty-four years ago, Business Week magazine conducted a poll of the American people on whether corporations have too much control over their lives. Over seventy percent of them said YES! Since 2000, big businesses and their CEOs have gotten bigger, richer, less taxed and exercised far more power over the lives of workers, consumers, patients, children, communities, the two major political parties and our national, state and local governments.

That reality answers the question of why our corporate Congress has declined to hold public hearings confronting lawless corporate power with proposed legislation – the first step toward shifting more power to the people.

Weissman has put together a powerful legislative agenda to restore the rule of law over raw power.

Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen, demands ten key Congressional hearings – naming the Committees that can hold them – in the just-published edition of the Capitol Hill Citizen (to obtain a print copy only, go to capitolhillcitizen.com).

Here is a summary of them:

1. Rebuild democracy by ending big money in elections. Besides exploring public financing for elections, the Committees, for example, would make the connections between Big Pharma’s money and charging the highest drug prices in the world, despite the large subsidies given to the drug companies. Also, witnesses would give testimony to strengthen voting rights and eliminate partisan gerrymandering, among other measures.

2. Taxing corporations and the Super-Rich at least to the level of the prosperous 1960s. Tax financial speculation (see: greedvsneed.org), close “a raft of loopholes” and impose a wealth tax on “the outrageously wealthy.” Weissman writes: “How exactly did Jeff Bezos pay $1.1 billion in federal tax from 2006 to 2018, as his wealth grew by $127 billion?” How do so many giant, profitable companies get away with zero income tax for years at a time?

3. Anti-monopoly hearings to strengthen venerable antitrust laws, to catch up with many new forms of monopolization and protect small business, competition and innovation. New legislation should also “restore the rights of victims of anti-competitive practices – whether competitors or consumers – to sue monopolists.”

4. Roll back rampant corporate welfare by exposing the hundreds of billions of dollars a year in subsidies, handouts, giveaways and bailouts. From greatly inflated government contracts – as in the defense industry – to giveaways of public land resources, government-guaranteed giant capitalism must stop, and the savings devoted to public services in great need.

5. More and deeper hearings on corporate-driven climate disruptions. Congressional committees have had numerous hearings, but far more should be regularly held on how the corporate-driven climate crisis is harming people and property around the country, how efficient are the ways to mitigate or prevent such fossil-fuel-led disasters, and how the law must be toughened with stronger enforcement and budgets to forestall this omnicidal destruction that gets worse every year.

6. “Winning Medicare for All” hearings to show how other countries spend far less per capita and get better patient outcomes with far less paperwork, waste, over-billing and denials of care. Weissman notes how conditions are getting worse with “private equity investors rushing to buy up everything from nursing homes to emergency care companies.”

7. Legislative hearings to enact laws that end the over-pricing of prescription drugs in the U.S. that are “roughly three times what they are in other rich countries.” This would build on Senator Bernie Sanders’ hearings by fundamentally changing the conditions that breed ever-worsening “pay or die” unregulated drug industry price dictates.

8. Hearings that place the most obstructive anti-union formation laws in the Western world under reform spotlights. Union-busting law firms and consultants should be subpoenaed to give testimony, produce documents, and answer questions under oath. Long overdue are hearings on the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act (1947) to allow card checks and faster procedures between union certification and contracts with employers.

9. Also, long overdue are Congressional hearings that “shine a light on the victims of corporate wrongdoing who have been denied their day in court or the ability to obtain fair compensation.” On the table would be a “Corporate Accountability and Civil Justice Restoration Act” that protects the constitutional right of trial by jury that has been severely eroded by corporate lawyers and corporate judges.

10. Hearings by the Senate Judiciary Committee to confront the surging corporate crime wave with a modernized, comprehensive federal corporate criminal law. One that is adequately empowered and resourced to deter, punish and hold corporate crooks and their companies accountable through a variety of proven mechanisms. Present laws are pathetically weak, easily gamed, and allow ever more widespread immunities for these comfortable fugitives from justice.

Weissman has put together a powerful legislative agenda to restore the rule of law over raw power. He has a Congress Watch group staffed by public interest lobbyists who can swing into action daily on Capitol Hill equipped with a combination of invincible rhetoric rooted in irrebuttable evidence to benefit all the American people.

It is up to you the citizens to demand such investigations by your senators and representatives.

I would add serious hearings on the bloated, redundant military budget. Absorbing over half of all federal operating expenditures, this vast appropriation is in violation of federal law since 1992 requiring audited budgets be sent to Congress yearly. The Pentagon is presently out of sight by members of Congress and out of control even by the Army, Air Force and Navy.

Another basic hearing is needed by the Joint Committee on Printing aimed at restoring the printing of Congressional hearings and reports for maximum distribution in depository libraries and use by citizens. Hearing transcripts and very tardy online hearing records give corporate lobbyists an advantage in lobbying Congress. They can afford to pay for rapid access transcripts or personally go to the hearings that citizens may not be able to easily attend. Few citizens can afford such luxuries. (See the February/March 2024 issue of the Capitol Hill Citizen).

By the way, voters should demand that Congress be in session five days a week instead of three days a week with long recesses. More hearings, and the critical information work of our national legislature, requires a full week’s work, for which they get fully paid. (We will have additional proposals for blockbuster hearings in the future.)

Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate and the author of "The Seventeen Solutions: Bold Ideas for Our American Future" (2012). His new book is, "Wrecking America: How Trump's Lies and Lawbreaking Betray All" (2020, co-authored with Mark Green).

[darkmaga-retard]

Should you take an arch-technocrat at his word? I think so. Larry Ellison is the founder and former chairman of Oracle, the third-largest software company in the world. According to SFGATE, “The CIA was not just Oracle’s first customer. Founded in May 1977, the firm’s name came from a CIA project code-named “Oracle.” Small world, indeed. Listen to the video and be prepared to be shocked.

When I was in the software business in the 1990s, the VP of Sales at Oracle approached me about integrating my sales and marketing software into the growing stable of Oracle products. I thought I had struck it rich! That is, until I got a whiff of their internal culture. The sales manager for Oracle was a woman who affectionally called her sales team her “yuppie guppies.” How cute, I thought, until I asked one of her “guppies” what that meant. He explained that guppies eat their own offspring and if they didn’t make their sales quotas by hook or by crook, they would be escorted off the campus within the hour. Needless to say, I ran as fast as I could to get away from them.

Larry Ellison has never changed his spots over the years. He should have been branded as a menace to society long ago. ⁃ Patrick Wood, TN Editor.

On Thursday, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison shared his vision for an AI-powered surveillance future during a company financial meeting, reports Business Insider. During an investor Q&A, Ellison described a world where artificial intelligence systems would constantly monitor citizens through an extensive network of cameras and drones, stating this would ensure both police and citizens don’t break the law.

Ellison, who briefly became the world’s second-wealthiest person last week when his net worth surpassed Jeff Bezos’ for a short time, outlined a scenario where AI models would analyze footage from security cameras, police body cams, doorbell cameras, and vehicle dash cams.

“Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on,” Ellison said, describing what he sees as the benefits from automated oversight from AI and automated alerts for when crime takes place. “We’re going to have supervision,” he continued. “Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report the problem and report it to the appropriate person.”

he 80-year-old billionaire also predicted that AI-controlled drones would replace police vehicles in high-speed pursuits. “You just have a drone follow the car,” he explained. “It’s very simple in the age of autonomous drones.”

Ellison co-founded Oracle in 1977 and served as CEO until he stepped down in 2014. He currently serves as the company’s executive chairman and CTO.

Sounds familiar

While Ellison attempted to paint his prediction of universal public surveillance in a positive light, his remarks raise significant questions about privacy, civil liberties, and the potential for abuse in a world of ubiquitous AI monitoring.

Ellison’s vision bears more than a passing resemblance to the cautionary world portrayed in George Orwell’s prescient novel 1984. In Orwell’s fiction, the totalitarian government of Oceania uses ubiquitous “telescreens” to monitor citizens constantly, creating a society where privacy no longer exists and independent thought becomes nearly impossible.

But Orwell’s famous phrase “Big Brother is watching you” would take on new meaning in Ellison’s tech-driven scenario, where AI systems, rather than human watchers, would serve as the ever-vigilant eyes of authority. Once considered a sci-fi trope, automated systems are already becoming a reality: Similar automated CCTV surveillance systems have already been trialed in London Underground and at the 2024 Olympics.

China has been using automated systems (including AI) to surveil its citizens for years. In 2022, Reuters reported that Chinese firms had developed AI software to sort data collected on residents using a network of surveillance cameras deployed across cities and rural areas as part of China’s “sharp eyes” campaign from 2015 to 2020. This “one person, one file” technology reportedly organizes collected data on individual Chinese citizens, leading to what The Economic Times called a “road to digital totalitarianism.”

Begging for GPUs

[rjzimmerman]

They’re Sizing Up Earth’s Lungs. It Takes Tape Measures and Tree Climbing. (New York Times)

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

With the help of a small rope tied around his ankles, Eugenio Sánchez, lithe at age 50, shimmied himself all the way up a towering tree like a human inchworm, his chest heaving from the exertion, just to pick a few leaves.

The leaves, found only on the highest branches, would help the scientists waiting below identify the species. And that, along with the tree’s exact size (or at least as close as one can approximate a tree’s size) would tell them something very important: how much carbon it contained.

The team, wearing gumboots caked with mud, were at the beginning of a monthslong process of painstakingly measuring pretty much every woody plant growing on this patch of Amazon rainforest in Colombia, one by one. A census of all 125,000 individual plants with a trunk size at least a centimeter in diameter.

It is part of a new, multimillion-dollar effort in dozens of patches of forest across the world that’s aimed at figuring out, to an unprecedented degree of precision, the extent to which forests perform an epic service to humanity by capturing and locking away huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the main planet-warming greenhouse gas.

The Amazon is vast. Nearly 10 Texases would fit in it. Amid that emerald expanse, this infinitesimal patch, less than a tenth of a square mile, is a stand-in for the larger whole. As a representative sample of the northwestern part of the Amazon, it contains around 1,200 species of woody plants, from gigantic kapok trees to tightly coiled liana vines. All of that in the space of six or seven New York City blocks.

With measuring tape and magnifying glasses, the scientists and their helpers traipsed over slippery snarls of roots and pushed through dense undergrowth. Fallen carcasses of giant matamatá and ojé trees became makeshift gangplanks across swampy whorls of muddy detritus.

For most of the year, in fact, this parcel of forest is flooded and accessible only by canoe. It is crawling with scorpions, tarantulas, and chiggers that burrow into skin.

One might ask, all that trouble just to put a tape measure around a tree?

At a global scale, this kind of hand-gathered data may fill a major gap in our understanding of forests. Last year, the Bezos Earth Fund put $12 million toward creating at least 30 of these sites across the world, mostly in the tropics. The effort is spearheaded by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, or STRI, which pioneered the calculation of forest biomass decades ago. They hope to one day have 100 of these sites.

More accurate carbon accounting, these groups say, will strengthen the fledgling efforts to put a realistic trading price on carbon dioxide emissions as a way of creating financial incentives to discourage deforestation and to pollute less. This data could also improve the complex models that scientists use when trying to understand global warming.

Along the way, the team in Colombia has also discovered previously uncataloged and rare species. And for some local Indigenous people, like Mr. Sánchez, there’s employment that draws on generations of inherited wisdom.

[awesomerextyphoon]

Chaotic Good Trio

Pepper: Do you know why you're here, today?

Ife: We're good people?

Pietro: This country's bullshit?

Loki: I'm just here for the chaos.

Ife: Loki!

Pepper: At least one of you is being honest.

Ife: Fine! What we did was 'wrong'.

Pietro: Really?!

Pepper: Ife, you can at least *try* being sincere.

Ife: Never.

Pietro: I mean, what did wasn't even that bad.

Pepper: Let's review, shall we?

Loki: She brought out the binder.

Pepper: Ife. You stole $15B from the Waltons, set fire to Blackstone's New York HQ, bought and destroyed 15 private equity groups-

Pietro. Nice!

Pepper: Why me? Plastered "Jeff's a Big, Whiny Loser" on Bezos' DC mansion, caused no less than 18 derailments political fundraisers in DC.

Ife: Is that really the worse thing in the world?

Pepper: You have 464 more entries.

Pietro: Hah!

Pepper: Maximoff, don't act like you're innocent! 12 cases of arson against police stations including the NYPD. Multiple Financial Sectors reporting of 'impossible gusts of wind' followed by their mortgage records being wiped out.

Pietro: What? Those places are evil!

Pepper: Hmm Okay. So Loki, care to explain why several museums are missing their entire collection of Norse artifacts?

Ife: He's not wrong.

Loki: Plus their lobbies are atrocious.

Loki: Those belong to my people and our followers.

Ife: Oh! So only the Norse get to take their shit back?!

Loki: You're just mad you didn't do it first!

Pepper: Several yachts have been 'ceremoniously sunk'. Sixty billionaires including the Kardashians have complained about the electricity in their homes being turned off.

Loki: It was rerouted. Also, Kim is insufferable.

Pepper: Enough! You three have enough potential charges to ruin the team!

Loki: Technically, ye-

Pepper: There's no 'technically' to it!

Ife: What Loki means is that while these things look bad now, it was in service of a lot of good.

Loki: The money that we 'stole' was given back to those who were wronged.

Pietro: You know full well that the police are thugs of the state.

Pepper: And it vexes you to no end that people call y'all cops, right?

Pietro: ...Yes.

Ife: Blackstone and other private equity firms have millions of houses in 'holding'! Houses that could be peoples' homes!

Loki: Also, why are you acting like we're the only ones doing this?

Pepper: You three are the most egregious.

Chaos Trio: Fair.

Pepper: We can salvage this-

Ife: No need! I listed out all the things we and sent it out to Ashtoreth for PR.

Pepper: Okay. F.R.I.D.A.Y?

F.R.I.D.A.Y: Yes?

Pepper: Block out my schedule for the next three weeks. I'm taking a sabbatical.

[follow-up-news]

The former Internal Revenue Service contractor who leaked the tax records of former President Donald Trump to The New York Times as well as the tax records of billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk to ProPublica was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty in October, and prosecutors sought the statutory maximum of five years in federal prison, saying that he "abused his position by unlawfully disclosing thousands of Americans’ federal tax returns and other private financial information to multiple news organizations." Prosecutors said that Littlejohn "weaponized his access to unmasked taxpayer data to further his own personal, political agenda, believing that he was above the law." Littlejohn was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes at a hearing at the federal courthouse in Washington. He will also have to pay a $5,000 fine.

[decolonize-the-everything]

how is tumblr making money to keep the site afloat by giving us the option to support the site comparable to elon musk wanting to paywall out most users of twitter? like do you WANT tumblr to end up shutting down cause they couldnt make money to keep this site running??

"to keep the site afloat" "to support the site" "do you WANT Tumblr to shut down"

The new CEO is worth 400 mil, he literally founded WordPress (which is doing just fine BTW), and there's no proof Tumblr is even broke because they stopped telling people Official numbers in 2013. That said, the year Mat Mullenweg bought the site for $3 million, Tumblr had an estimated revenue of $65 million.

Tumblr struggling to monetize itself =/= Tumblr is broke

Tumblr isn't a small, poor business by any definition but it's also not a mega-corp with billions of profit.

This is what a site looks like when it isn't run by rich assholes and ALSO isn't a small business. If Bezos is a billionaire dickhead then Tumblr is the equivalent of an upper middle class weeaboo. And the weeaboo is only complaining that he doesn't make enough because he doesn't have the extra cash to buy 5 yachts on a whim like Bezos can. So he wants you, Tumblr user, to give him that excess capital so he can join the Rich Guy club.

But he isn't poor. He's not gonna lose his house. He's not actually even struggling. He just wants to be More comfortable.

Sometimes struggling to monetize is a good thing. It means you won't be a billionaire and like... isnt half this site CONSTANTLY saying they wanna eat the rich or that there should be wealth caps?

Tumblr did that organically.

Yall really need take a step back from personifying Tumblr and acting like it's the Cool Cringe Site™ that you just wanna support. I think it's killing your braincells.

Tumblr is not a fucking person in need of financial assistance. It's a company that wants to increase profit.

[mariacallous]

How bracing to wake up yesterday and read that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had donated $100m to Dolly Parton’s charitable endeavours, at his own “Courage and Civility” event. (Sarcastic airquotes: my own.) The many, many news reports about this act suggested it was a truly incredible sum from the second richest man in the world, who – according to recent estimates – gets richer by about $205m a day.

Anyway, once I’d peeled myself off the ceiling, I got busy on the government’s tax calculator. If you’re on the median average UK salary – and you pay your taxes – your take-home pay is £72 a day. Looked at one way, then, Jeff’s benevolence would be the equivalent of donating £34.56 to charity. Have YOU ever donated thirty-four quid to charity? Do you pay your taxes? If so, you’re actually being more generous than Jeff Bezos, who, famously, avoids almost all of his. And yet, where’s YOUR splashy news write-up in all the fine news outlets of the world? Where’s YOUR fawning TV interview? Why does no one refer to YOU as a “philanthropist”?

We’ll come to the obvious answers to those questions shortly, but for now, let’s look at the stage-managed hoopla around these so-called Courage and Civility awards. And yes, that title does make it sound like Jeff just demanded a warehouse operative bring him two inoffensive abstract nouns that were out of copyright. In fact, Bezos announced the initiative last year, shortly after disembarking his little space rocket, possibly sensing a planetary disdain being levelled at the kind of guy who could put himself in zero gravity for four minutes but couldn’t figure out how to treat his workers properly.

Anyway, the Courage and Civility awards are now an actual thing. And alongside Sunday’s self-effacing ceremony and his attempt to piggyback on the lifelong altruism and extraordinary charitable service of HRH Dolly Parton, Bezos granted an exclusive sit-down with CNN. First impressions? Jeff interviews like a chat tool, and resembles your local area’s most uncompromising and least booked 58-year-old Vin Diesel lookalike. Having long refused to sign the Giving Pledge – a promise by many of the world’s richest individuals to donate most of their wealth to charitable causes – Bezos announced that he intends giving “the majority” of his money away in his lifetime, according to CNN. And yet, does he intend to do this? His answer – “Yeah, I do” – feels somewhat vague and short on specifics.

But taking Jeff at his word, I mean it from the bottom of the heart when I say: BIG FRICKING DEAL. Most people give a significant amount of their money away during their lifetime, via a little something we call the taxation system. I know! Where’s our red-carpet gala? I tell you what, next time our paychecks arrive, why don’t we all get our hair done and put on black tie or a big old dress and graciously twat our way down a red carpet going “You’re MOST welcome!” for the cameras.

According to what Bezos told CNN, philanthropy “is really hard”. It certainly seems to be for him. Do recall he was only dragged kicking and screaming to the giving-a-shit game, having spent years accruing billions before it was finally pointed out to him that not having some kind of philanthropic arm looked fairly abysmal. In 2017 Bezos asked Twitter users for ideas on how to help the world “in the here and now”, before embarking on a truly committed programme of ignoring every single one of them who suggested paying his workers properly and contributing fair tax.

A year later, he actually uttered the words: “The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel.” That was the same year Amazon helped kill a Seattle tax on big firms to alleviate the homelessness crisis, by threatening to pull a huge building project. The business and tech commentator Scott Galloway calls Bezos “the mother of all welfare queens” for the vast benefits he’s drawn from public money and the tax breaks he remorselessly chases and demands.

But of course, Jeff is the kind of widely acclaimed visionary who simply lacks the vision to realise that the first way to help is by paying people a fair wage and forking out your taxes like an ordinary person – and not by turning up to dole out “charity” after the event like some bastard god of the purse strings. Unfortunately, he’s part of that specific billionaire class that believes they should be allowed to hypothecate almost 100% of their own vast riches in whichever direction they wish, because the exchequers of the world are just junior personnel, and they know better than all of them how to spend it.

So yes, for Bezos philanthropy “is really hard”. What he does – fauxlanthropy – is much, much easier. Moving billions to non-profits you control, effectively awarding yourself tax breaks, buying media fawning with one of the lamest possible sleights-of-hand: these things, self-evidently, are a whole lot easier. What’s hard to understand is why on earth we’re still buying into this obvious bullshit from some of the most selfish people in the world. The poor give a far greater proportion of their money to charity than the rich. I don’t mean to be uncivil, but what is courageous about letting Jeff Bezos pretend otherwise?

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Instead of Manifesting Events with KC Where Was Our Saint? by u/millioneura

Instead of Manifesting Events with KC Where Was Our Saint? The Harkles are manifesting an invite for tea from KC during IG next week, an invite to Balmoral for the summer bc they're part of the family so Hollywood send your offers over to the RF living in America. Meanwhile Hollywood has made their status clear and I don't see any collabs happening with Abundant Rubbish Outlet or guest stars on the cooking show.A list actor & neighbour to the Harkles Rob Lowe had a bday party next door to the Olive Garden a few weeks ago where Robert Downey Jr, Zoe Saldaña, Amy Poehler, Kevin Costner, Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Levine & Cameron Diaz attended. All people Roachel has attempted to attach herself too. White House Japan Dinner was last night with Lauren Sanchez + Jeff Bezos, Biden (who she openly supported & is supporting for the election but not financially so he doesn't care about her & Jill ignored her lemons) & Clinton (who she openly voted for & called numerous times when she arrived in the USA to get her name attached to bills & a potential political role) attending. All of the billionare CEOs were also in attendance and would've been perfect to get a new husband. But she was busy looking at the monthly bot & puff piece budget to see how many "reconciliation" and "project" stories she could push out there. Roachel has been in her backlog of photos lately publishing the hospital visit from the pandemic era. Where was she at the last event Doria was at with Tina Knowles & Beyonce? Where was she during Hazbeen Kardassian ski trip? Even they don't want her around.Hollywood & the US powers that be have made it very clear she is still a D list actress like she was a decade ago and will remain a random z list actress who married a random prince who in a decade won't even be talked about bc the world will have 2 princes to fawn over.​ post link: https://ift.tt/vycI3VC author: millioneura submitted: April 11, 2024 at 11:15PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[awesome-casuallyfamouscollector]

It's True: Billionaires are Cashing Out

With general accuracy, the viral message referred to these financial decisions:

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos sold $8.5 billion in Amazon stock over nine days in February 2024.

On Feb. 22, 2024, Jamie Dimon cashed out JP Morgan stock by about $150 million in shares. This was the first time he cashed out of the bank's stock in his 18 years at its helm.

Meta Platforms Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg dumped $428 million in Meta stock at the end of 2023. (The viral message alleged a lower amount, $400 million.)

Furthermore, the message correctly included the Walton family, the founders of Walmart, in the trend. However, in reality, that group's sale was lower than the purported amount of $4.5 billion. The Walton family sold $1.5 billion in Walmart stock between Feb. 21, 2024, and Feb. 23, 2024, bringing its total stock sale proceeds to $2.3 billion since December 2023(..)

P.S. There is a fairly high probability that the election of Trump and his capitulation to the Russians and Chinese could lead to major financial turmoil...Contrary to hype, Trump is a very weak presidential candidate...

In matters of security and business, Europe must prepare for the worst situation, when it will no longer be possible to rely on America as an Ally! European countries will have to develop their own new armaments and nuclear weapons programs....

[primeblogs]

Living Like a Billionaire - The Ultimate Luxury Motivation Experience

Billionaires enjoy showing off their wealth by sporting extravagant clothes and high-end accessories. They're expensive however, they're an integral part of the life of billionaires. These people live in estates worth millions of dollars. These estates often include an helipad, beach and other amenities. 1. Create a Billionaire Mindset Millionaires are always learning new things in order to stay on top of their competitors. They read extensively to keep up with the most current trends and information. Exercise is also a major passion for them and provides many health benefits. They organize their time to be able to enjoy everything they love. They're not traditionalists, and are always pushing for change - think Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. 2. Create a Billionaire Vision Billionaires are extremely creative. They transform mundane products into something unique. They also have interesting hobbies. For instance, Elon Musk collects James Bond souvenirs. Bill Gates collects manuscripts and books. Self-made billionaires think that life is a meritocracy and they're superior to the rest of us. Also, they have an innate belief in entitlement. Their actions and attitudes toward charity reflect this mindset. 3. Develop a Billionaire Mindset Billionaires are curious, open-minded and constantly learning. They see opportunities that others cannot recognize obstacles. They follow their guts, and they take advantage of opportunities. Motivation is the key to the success of billionaires. Motivation is what drives them to overcome their obstacles and propel them forward. They establish goals and routinely review them to make sure they're in line with their vision. 4. Create a Billionaire Action Plan It requires hard work and commitment to become a billionaire. It can be very rewarding. Get yourself set for success by beginning your day with this billionaire's morning routine. This routine includes meditation, exercise and reading. Billionaires are avid readers of books about business as well as science, history, and technology. They also read books on fiction and self-help. Reading is crucial for development as well as learning new things. 5. Create a Billionaire budget Even a good annual income such as the $20 million that Tom Brady's new deal with ESPN nets him, won't make you a millionaire. Billionaires make billions by investing in businesses worth billions of dollars or purchasing shares. They also avoid investments like vehicles that decrease in value. However, they will make payments for things like security and a personal assistant. 6. Create a Billionaire Schedule Morning routines are a hallmark of billionaires. They are designed to promote health for body as well as mind and spirit. Their schedules are meticulously set and are in line with their long-term objectives to gain financial success, prosperity as well as personal growth. Bill Gates, for example has a habit of reading to stay updated about current events and expand his knowledge. Exercise in the morning is also a habit of billionaires, and improves their mental health and focus. 7. Make an Billionaire Goals List Billionaires make sure that every target they set is accompanied by plans. They also recognize that they must measure their progress and stay on track to reach their goals. They also make time to go through news stories every morning to stay informed. This helps them remain focused and productive throughout the day. Instead of investing in the 401 (k) They should avoid buying things that appreciate in value, such as cars. 8. Create a Billionaire Action Plan Millionaires concentrate on the things that matter. Millionaires aren't wasting time on Facebook, YouTube or the latest infomercial. They read articles in the morning to stay up-to-date. To ensure they are productive, they plan their day and establish goals. They're philanthropic. They contribute to non-profit organizations and contribute in other ways that do not involve money, like giving people with the resources they need. 9. Create a Billionaire Dream Billionaires often achieve success by creating and expanding their businesses. They put in a lot of effort to create and implement a brilliant idea. They also have a good understanding of the business and its latest developments. While billionaires can indulge in their wealth, such as through private jets and living in multiple mansions, others are surprisingly cheap. A lot of them still live in the home they bought several decades ago. 10. Create a Billionaire Vision Millionaires have a clear idea of what having a lot of money can accomplish for their lives. Their lavish lifestyle is a reflection of their vision.

They have expensive cars and engage in exclusive leisure pursuits. They express their intrinsic motivations. A few billionaires are known for having odd interests for example, like collecting James Bond memorabilia and old rocket parts. Hobbies allow them to maintain their sanity and provide them with enjoyment. Go to YouTube

[taylortruther]

that’s how I feel about Taylor and being a billionaire as well: it’s largely due to her creative output and that to me feels different than Bezos making Amazon employees pee in water bottles. We have proof from the lover diaries that she’s a generous boss (increasing salaries or giving out bonuses to the band, forgot which one) and that was the speak now era where she was rich, but obviously not as rich as she is today. Her crew has health insurance (absolute bare minimum but that’s from the letterman interview where he showed that HIS crew doesn’t). The 50 million in bonuses she gave out.. is that not her trying to decrease her billionaire status?

and idk! It’s also like.. maybe from growing up poor/lower class I learned financial discipline because I had to and absolutely no one is forcing anyone to buy multiple vinyls, merchandise or whatever else. Even the FOMO tactic.. I’m wondering did no one learn any discipline?

your last paragraph is interesting because it gets into materialism, which is a related conversation. we live in a pretty materialistic society, and there are many reasons people want to possess things: it's fun, gives you a sense of security... but a lot can be said for consumer capitalism. we're constantly barraged by marketing that tells us we NEED things. we need new, shiny possessions to be beautiful, to be better, to be "real fans" and it's all to the benefit of corporations selling the product.

so yeah, financial discipline is one thing. but corporations don't actually want you to have it lmao