The only billionaire I've been able to come up with that isn't a total jerk is Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay). There are reformed total jerks (such as Bill Gates) but I'm not sure their reformation makes up for the huge amount of assholery they performed before then.
Mr. IKEA seems like a decent fellow, helped by the fact that I know practically nothing about him. The former Mrs. Bezos seems to have come out of the experience all right. Steve Jobs was a jerk, but I find forgiveness in the fact that his jerkness seems always to have been in the form of making his products better serve his customers (us). Dolly Parton is a billionaire, right? Or at least a few-hundred-millionaire. She's kind of a hero. Oprah seems to be richer, but I don't know about her character.
I can’t tell if that’s Bradlee or Robards in the photo. Both (RIP) are probably looking down from Heaven, appalled by how the Post has fared under Bezos’s ownership, whilst equally delighted by the rise of Gene’s Pist 🤓
Speak for yourself Amy. I prefer "much tolerated." Come to think about it though, looking at what are pretty much only "Like" variation options now available on the rejiggered WaPo "camel" comments (obviously like a horse designed by committee, as the observation goes), they all could apply to Dear Leader. There's "Clarifying," "New to me," "Provocative," and "Thoughtful."
Laurene Jobs does philanthropic deeds and Mark Cuban has his online pharmacy and neither has donated $277 million to Trump as best I can determine. They actually look normal too.
Gene, assuming that Bozos hires you are Editor in Chief, one of your earliest rulings should be to return the format of the comments to their previous version. The newest version ......well, something akin to a donkey in Tijuana.
This reminds of the reason why I missed my favorite part of The Wizard of Oz...because I was watching my favorite part of West Side Story : Gee Officer Krupke. Specifically, the conundrum: "He's depraved on account of he's deprived," or "He's deprived on account of he's depraved."
I’ve wondered this myself! I think many people who achieve some wealth and are jerks attribute their wealth to their jerkiness and that kicks off a positive feedback cycle, if you will, though one with negative effects. The wealthy ex-wives who aren’t jerks as mentioned in these comments serve as a sort of control sample for my hypothesis.
I’d (seriously) be interested in your views of what makes a great executive editor. Is it someone who’s very hands on, or someone who has a few core principles and follows those? How do you choose stories, oversee staff, know the battles worth fighting, etc.?
Nowadays, yes. All of them. In the old days it used to be possible to be a billionaire, or a Republican, and still have a tiny shred of decency left. But becoming, or staying, a Reepublican nowadays is like becoming or staying a Nazi in 1933. Shame on them. And I know of no Democratic billionaires.
Don, Reid Hoffman co-founder of LinkedIn and Alex Soros, son of George, are two who come immediately to mind, but there may be others now hiding in the shadows. And then there are just a bunch of garden-variety multi-millionaires.
There actually are quite a few, many named in these comments. At one point, Harris had many more billionaire donors. But they aren’t the ones with rockets, yachts, and terrible values.
The only billionaire I've been able to come up with that isn't a total jerk is Pierre Omidyar (founder of eBay). There are reformed total jerks (such as Bill Gates) but I'm not sure their reformation makes up for the huge amount of assholery they performed before then.
ETA: D'oh! Soros, too.
Warren Buffett is not a jerk
And was a great friend of Kay Graham.
Mark Cuban seems like a pretty decent guy, all things considered.
Mr. IKEA seems like a decent fellow, helped by the fact that I know practically nothing about him. The former Mrs. Bezos seems to have come out of the experience all right. Steve Jobs was a jerk, but I find forgiveness in the fact that his jerkness seems always to have been in the form of making his products better serve his customers (us). Dolly Parton is a billionaire, right? Or at least a few-hundred-millionaire. She's kind of a hero. Oprah seems to be richer, but I don't know about her character.
Oprah propped up Drs. Phil and Oz, which should enough to ruin her rep.
She has expressed regret.
Dolly gets a pass, definitely.
I was going to mention Pierre. He was a classmate of mine. I also know his wife, Pam, another Tufts Jumbo.
I guess we have to drop Jay-Z from the list, and Diddy already lost his shine.
Are they actually billionaires?
I can’t tell if that’s Bradlee or Robards in the photo. Both (RIP) are probably looking down from Heaven, appalled by how the Post has fared under Bezos’s ownership, whilst equally delighted by the rise of Gene’s Pist 🤓
Robards.
Gene, you are much loved by many of us. In case you were uncertain.
Amy speaks for many of us.
Speak for yourself Amy. I prefer "much tolerated." Come to think about it though, looking at what are pretty much only "Like" variation options now available on the rejiggered WaPo "camel" comments (obviously like a horse designed by committee, as the observation goes), they all could apply to Dear Leader. There's "Clarifying," "New to me," "Provocative," and "Thoughtful."
Well, Dale, I didn’t name names. Nor were things like birthday gifts attached.
Laurene Jobs does philanthropic deeds and Mark Cuban has his online pharmacy and neither has donated $277 million to Trump as best I can determine. They actually look normal too.
I would add Melinda Gates to the non-joik column, assuming she is also a billionaire. Thing is, it’s not the good guys we usually hear about.
Let's not forget MacKenzie Scott who is richer by $30Bn and for being the ex of Bezos, among the benign billionaires.
I think Taylor Swift is a billionaire now, and anyone who gives her tour crew $197 million in bonuses is OK by me.
Well, I forgot about George Soros.
I am confident that Gene would be absolutely corrupted by receiving a living wage. His brink-of-insolvency lifestyle helps give him his edge.
Gene, assuming that Bozos hires you are Editor in Chief, one of your earliest rulings should be to return the format of the comments to their previous version. The newest version ......well, something akin to a donkey in Tijuana.
Does becoming a multi-billionaire make you a jerk or do only jerks become multi-billionaires? Like a single billion isn't enough?
This reminds of the reason why I missed my favorite part of The Wizard of Oz...because I was watching my favorite part of West Side Story : Gee Officer Krupke. Specifically, the conundrum: "He's depraved on account of he's deprived," or "He's deprived on account of he's depraved."
Most likely they were jerks before the billions. The billions just allow them to be jerks longer...and celebrated ones.
I’ve wondered this myself! I think many people who achieve some wealth and are jerks attribute their wealth to their jerkiness and that kicks off a positive feedback cycle, if you will, though one with negative effects. The wealthy ex-wives who aren’t jerks as mentioned in these comments serve as a sort of control sample for my hypothesis.
Dolly Parton probably could be a multi-billionaire, but isn't, precisely because she's not a selfish asshole hoarding her wealth like a dragon.
I’d (seriously) be interested in your views of what makes a great executive editor. Is it someone who’s very hands on, or someone who has a few core principles and follows those? How do you choose stories, oversee staff, know the battles worth fighting, etc.?
I hear good things about John Beresford Tipton...
Warren Buffett is maybe not a jerk, but I don't know that for certain. Is Steven Spielberg a billionaire? He's okay.
Nowadays, yes. All of them. In the old days it used to be possible to be a billionaire, or a Republican, and still have a tiny shred of decency left. But becoming, or staying, a Reepublican nowadays is like becoming or staying a Nazi in 1933. Shame on them. And I know of no Democratic billionaires.
Don, Reid Hoffman co-founder of LinkedIn and Alex Soros, son of George, are two who come immediately to mind, but there may be others now hiding in the shadows. And then there are just a bunch of garden-variety multi-millionaires.
The exceptions that prove the rule, as they say. It's damn rare, but it does exist, I suppose.
Ya mean Brilliant Crime Family Boss Joe Biden isn't a billionaire?!!
Investopedia says Joe & Jill are collectively worth about $10M....in other words about the same as Il Douche if he were to release his income taxes.
There actually are quite a few, many named in these comments. At one point, Harris had many more billionaire donors. But they aren’t the ones with rockets, yachts, and terrible values.