GeekSugar

7 Billionaire Habits to Pick Up

Emily Co — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:33:56 PST

Billionaires didn't get to where they are just by snapping their fingers. It took a lot of hard work and determination for them to make the big bucks, and many of them have habits that are applicable to non-billionaires like you and I. Learn some savvy lessons from these 7 billionaires - they sure know what they're doing!

Source: Flickr User Mykl Roventine

10 Biographies Every Geek Should Read

GeekSugar — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:29:56 PST

How much do you know about the world's most famous geeks? Get a glimpse into their personal and professional lives with one of these fascinating books. We've rounded up 10 must-read biographies to help you learn about the smartest, savviest nerds.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Bill Gates

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:11:41 PDT

We already know a bit about the life and times of Bill Gates, but during a recent interview with the UK's Daily Mail, we get an even closer look at the billionaire Microsoft mogul. Bill Gates still resides at the top of Forbes's richest list but here are a few facts you may not have known:

He's an honorary knight - The Queen of England gave Bill Gates an honorary knighthood back in 2005.
He knows pop music - Bill's kids tease him by singing the Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars tune "Billionaire," and he knows "some Lady Gaga songs," (but only the ones without swear words).
He's a workaholic - Bill says he didn't take a single day off when he was in his 20s, but now he plays tennis and bridge.
He's got famous friends - Bill Gates is close friends with Oprah (who he's recruiting to donate a lion's share of her wealth to his 'Giving Pledge’ program), and hosted Bono and his wife at his home overnight after a recent U2 concert in Seattle.

See the rest of the list (including the first things he'd save in a fire) after the break.

The Positives and Negatives of the Forbes Billionaire List

Emily Co — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:55:51 PST

The web has been buzzing about the recently released The World's Billionaires list by Forbes, and this made me think about if the data really matters to us since our lives are so far removed from people who have a net worth of more than 10 figures. Further, the list isn't totally accurate - there are apparently a lot of billionaires that didn't even make it to the list, because there are a number of people who keep their money in privately owned assets.

On the plus side, it's also great to have data and records, because it creates a culture of transparency. And as a bonus for the billionaires, Bill Gates once said that the Forbes list is a nice Rolodex to use when he's knocking on doors, trying to convince the other uber rich to be more philanthropic. It's also interesting to see who the most successful people in the other countries are, and it's a good indicator of how fast a country is developing. Case in point: China doubled its number of billionaires this year.

However, one of the main drawbacks is that the list almost seems like a public display of flaunting for the rich. The US economy is still recovering, and people are still feeling the bite of the recession. Perhaps a better list would be a list of billionaires who are doing the most for their country. This will send a message to people that although becoming extremely successful is something to be proud of; using that money to create visible social impact for society is even better.

Bill Gates was the richest man in the world for 17 years before dropping to second place in 2010 and this year, but he would have received the top spot if it weren't for his charitable donations. According to Reuters, Gates would have actually had $88 billion (topping Carlos Slim's $74 billion) if he didn't give so much money to his philanthropic causes. Thanks to his wealthy support, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest in the US.

What do you think of the Forbes billionaires list - should we have a list of billionaires who are doing the most good rather than a who's who of the richest people in the world?

College Dropout or Not: The Billionaire Edition

Emily Co — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:20:11 PST

There's been a lot of talk about college being an unnecessary expense. Personally, I think education is a very important investment, but to each his own. Obviously, these successful executives thought otherwise, and their decision to drop out literally paid off. Guess whether these billionaires dropped out of college.

Take the Quiz

Is It Smart to Give Entrepreneurs 100k to Drop Out of College?

Emily Co — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:30:06 PDT

We hear plenty of college-dropout-turned-billionaire success stories. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is one example, and another is America's richest man, Bill Gates. Now, billionaire Peter Thiel, an investor of Facebook and a PayPal founder, is offering a 100k incentive to genius youngsters under 20 to drop the whole college thing and dive right into entrepreneurship with his two-year program. I really value my whole undergrad studies and am a firm believer in education, but I can also see the appeal of this deal to entrepreneurial youth. Those who think Thiel's proposal is ridiculous say it's dangerous, because dropping out of college may stunt their intellectual growth.

I'm assuming Thiel will choose his candidates very carefully (you have to agree that the man does have a good eye for investments), but I'm wondering what kind of message this offer is sending to college youths. Do you think it's a good idea to offer these kids 100k to ditch the traditional college path and embrace the start-up world?

Learn From Bill Gates' Fave Teacher For Free

SavvySugar — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 08:00:43 PDT

The richest man in America thinks Sal Khan's teachings are "unbelievable," so I would take heed if I were you. The best part about this is that you don't need to be Bill Gates to learn from Sal because you can get the lessons free of charge from his website khanacademy.org. The Harvard MBA and former hedge fund manager started Khan Academy four years ago without any intention of profiting off it. In fact, he even happened upon the idea by chance and started by tutoring his niece and nephews online over the phone and doodling on a Yahoo program.

Sure, his YouTube lessons, which include topics like algebra and chemistry seems to target pre-college kids, but I found plenty that adults can enjoy as well. It's a boon for us that these videos are meant for kids, because he takes complex subjects and makes them easy and fun. Watch the video below to see how Sal explains economics in cupcake terms - now he's talking my language.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Bill Gates

GeekSugar — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:00:34 PDT

You learned 10 things about another computer mogul last month, but today we're visiting the life and times of Bill Gates. One of the most influential figures in technology today, Bill has led a life worthy of the geek title he's earned. Take a look and discover a few things you may not have known about Bill Gates.

Bill Gates Dethroned as World's Richest Man

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 03:47:47 PST

Microsoft founder, Sundance table-dancer, Facebook-phobe, and billionaire Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man, according to Forbes Magazine's 2010 Billionaires List. Even though his wealth rose by billions to hit $53 billion this year, he was out-billionaired by Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu, a telecom mogul who beat Gates's wealth by a mere half-billion dollars. Meanwhile, red-carpet walking Steve Jobs comes in at 136.

While Bill may no longer be the richest man in the world, he's certainly been keeping busy. Facebook may intimidate him, but he has joined Twitter and started a blog to highlight his foundation's work. And even though he's officially stepped down from his post at Microsoft, I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about his future endeavors for a long time.

iPad Wrap-Up: Everything You Might Have Missed

GeekSugar — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:00:45 PST

It's been a busy January with all the tech-related announcements of CES, but the product that garnered the most buzz was by far the new Apple iPad. If you missed any of the news or features (and there was a lot) get caught up right now!