Bill Gates: Hamburgers Taste the Same When You're a Billionaire
Bill Gates: Hamburgers Taste the Same When You're a Billionaire
Posted 10/28/2011 at 9:39am
| by Paul Lilly
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We tend to agree with Bruno Mars that being a billionaire would frickin' rock, and so would being on the cover of Forbes Magazine. And who wouldn't like to play a game of pickup ball with the President and flush one down over top of his delegates? Travie McCoy gets it. But hey, you can take it from Bill Gates that while being rich is grand and all, it's just more of the same.
The billionaire Harvard dropout and Microsoft founder recently spoke to students and faculty at the University of Washington, in which he stressed the importance of education and how it ties into philanthropy. And then he held a Q&A session, during which time a student asked Gates how she could make herself rich, just like him.
"I can understand wanting to have millions of dollars, there's a certain freedom, meaningful freedom, that comes with that," Gates responded, according to GeekWire.com. "But once you get much beyond that, I have to tell you, it's the same hamburger. [Seattle fast food joint] Dick's has not raised their prices enough. But being ambitious is good. You just have to pick what you enjoy doing."
Until we become billionaires ourselves, we'll have to take his word for it. In the meantime, there's always In-N-Out and Five Guys, if you happen to live near either one.
Image Credit: Flickr kafka4prez
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caterin
January 11, 2012 at 2:03am
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caterin
January 05, 2012 at 12:07am
We tend to agree with Bruno Mars that being a billionaire would frickin' rock, and so would being on the cover of Forbes Magazine. Phlebotomy Training
LatiosXT
October 31, 2011 at 8:15am
I think what Bill is trying to say that in the end, it doesn't matter if you have a lot of money. The question is, did you enjoy your life? Bill's at that age where setting big goals is kind of glazed over. Maybe a project here or there to leave a legacy, but not where your as ambitious as you once were.
I remember reading somewhere, a comment or something, that the writer's friends became lawyers because of the prestige and money that come with it. And then not even a few years later, they hated it and switched to another job that they enjoyed doing.
yammerpickle2
October 28, 2011 at 6:45pm
I claim BS too. If he really believes that let him put his money where his mouth is and giveaway 99% his wealth right now! I’ll gladly give him my hamburgers for a modest donation. Better yet, let’s play Prince and the Pauper. I’ll take his money and assets and he can have mine.
I understand what he is saying that at his level of wealth you can’t realistically spend it all just to satisfy your own physical cravings. But a 99 cent hamburger from a frozen pressed patty and a gourmet burger with fresh ingredients is apple to oranges. A crappy AM radio is nothing like a top notch audio video system. A flight on your personal jet to your mansion at some beautiful retreat, is not like a staycation.
Let’s not forget that Bill and his MS team used some pretty anti-competitive, monopolistic tactics to make that money, and I wonder how many business and personal lives he ruined doing that.
I’m not saying that MS has not move the needle of technology forward, but I’m also sure there were casualties of both personal and technological nature along the way. In my community there has been more than one incident of “local hero” who basically became that illusion by dubious means.
thetechchild
October 30, 2011 at 11:09am
How very altruistic of you.. First, Bill Gates has given away huge sums of $$ to charities (the supposed 505 pledge comes to mind, as does his philanthropic foundation). Very few can attest to giving away more. And he's right-- after you hit $50 million, those extra sums can't be spent in any way, really (unless you want to buy an island and finance some neo-socialist state?).
While you say that MS might have crushed smaller competitors, so has *every* other large corporation to date. I can't name one multibillion dollar giant like MS who has somehow gotten there without the dirty tactics.
Anybody who wants to lead has to accept that leading comes with repercussions and necessary sacrifices. To get where it is now , Microsoft became an icon, and destroyed others who weren't as up to fighting it out. That's regretable in all cases, but not surprising or evil.
And really? You think that if you owned that large a sum of money, you'd be capable of giving it *ALL* away? I'm not talking 99%, so that you could keep that last million out of billions, I'm talking less than $100,000 left out of that entire fortune. At some point, the completely human greediness kicks in. Sure, there are people in the world who might be capable of it, but if that personality were that common, the world would never get anywhere.
froggz
October 28, 2011 at 4:36pm
Money is freedom. The freedom to do almost anything you want. Maybe the reality of Steve Jobs dying so young hit him. It doesn't matter how rich a person could be, without your health it's all meaningless. Mr. Jobs wasted so much of his life on a company, instead of enjoying his billions (freedom). Maybe Mr. Gates sees that now and can relate.
thetechchild
October 30, 2011 at 11:13am
I don't think so... Once you get that rich, you have a lot of time to contemplate what to do next. If you so desired, you could choose nothing at all.
Jobs had that freedom to live in a perpetual paradise, at his whim. But he specifically chose to continue leading Apple in some way. I don't think that was wasted -- that was what his freedom allowed him to do, the end product of all his freedom. If he wasn't as rich, he couldn't have managed to stay on top of it all.
Engelsstaub
October 28, 2011 at 1:49pm
Bill Gates is a great man who will be remembered as a humanitarian. He knows he has way too much money and uses a lot to help others.
Of course he's right. When the little people like us talk about how we'd love to win the lottery, there must be a point where the extra money really means nothing anymore. A multi-millionaire could personally live just as extravagantly and "comfortably" as a multi-billionaire.
triclops41
October 28, 2011 at 11:56am
he means, after a few million, the next billions dont really change anything.
he should preface that with "for him".
some people could find a way to blow billions, kim kardashian, for example.
austin43
October 28, 2011 at 3:57pm
Is there a rich person with the last name billions I don't know about?
biggiebob12345
October 28, 2011 at 11:25am
Errr ... f-ing BS. When you have 40 billion dollars here's what you CAN do when you want a hamaburger.
-Pay to send your private jet to pick up the most expensive living cow possible.
-Send your other jet to pick up a mayan decendent who is picaso with a butcher knife.
-Send your backup other jet to pick up a michelin 4 star chef.
-Make sure your burger is topped off with the most expensive ingredients possible regardless of how disgusting they are. Truffles and bull semen condiments.
lhatten
October 28, 2011 at 1:09pm
And how many time would you do this before it gets f-ing boring? Not many I bet. Beyond a certain amount, the only thing left is power over others. The ability to control, manipulate, and mess with others. If thats what you want/need then it speaks volumes about you. I for one don't need it.
stradric
October 28, 2011 at 10:59am
Bill Gates is worth, what? 40 billion? That's an insane amount of money. He could spend $1 million / day for 100 years and still have 3 billion left over. He could make 30,000 people millionaires and still have 10 billion left over for himself. Of course, I'm not saying he should do any of that. I'm just trying to paint a picture of how ridiculous that amount of money is for one person or even a family of 40.
Of course if we live in a society where people do have ridiculous amounts of money like that, I very much prefer they be in the hands of people like Bill Gates than Kim Kardashian.
Kinetic
October 28, 2011 at 11:03am
"I very much prefer they be in the hands of people like Bill Gates than Kim Kardashian."
I'll second the hell out of that.
Archangel1976
October 28, 2011 at 12:18pm
I'm on this bandwagon.
So, when can we pass it as a rule? How many people need to sign on?
Phosphorous
October 28, 2011 at 10:53am
Barely average fast food burger? What Five Guys have you been eating? Last time I checked fast food joints don't use fresh hamburger meat with handmade patties.
philipa25
October 28, 2011 at 11:11am
I gave it a try after hearing everyone rave about it. Tasted cheap. Even if the ingredients are better than a fast food place, it didn't taste it.
avenger48
October 28, 2011 at 4:37pm
I'm with you. To me, it tasted like a fancy wendy's burger. I must say, though, the fries are incredible.
Kinetic
October 28, 2011 at 11:03am
I think what Bill was trying to say wasn't so much a commentary on the food, but that even with access to a large sum of money and the freedoms it grants, at its simplest life remains essentially the same. Which is why taking pleasure in what you do with your life, and finding meaning in it is important.
Archangel1976
October 28, 2011 at 12:25pm
Strangely enough, I think it's a "reality check" from Bill.
Once you have enough money to be fairly much "financially independent" or secure, well, what does it really mean past that point?
For me, to keep up the lifestyle that I would enjoy, it wouldn't take a lot. Say, if I had $3 mil bankrolled, I'd be able to do everything I enjoy now, from now to the ripe old age of 100 without breaking a sweat. Home would be paid for, I'd have enough to travel as much as I care to, and I could eat out and go to movies and such as much as I care to. Any "work" that I'd do at that point, would be pretty much whatever I actually give a damn to do, and would not be "required for survival".
d3v
October 28, 2011 at 3:01pm
The USD has halved in value over the last 2-3 years. 3 million won't be enough to last you a lifetime. Maybe 30 million.
Moon Unit
October 31, 2011 at 3:28pm
Um, that's $50,000 per year for 60 years. And that's not including compound interest. I think you could live on $3 million.
Sheesh. There's a first world problem for you: "I can't live on $50,000/year"
TommM
October 28, 2011 at 10:15am
Now that's funny Bill Gates would make a reference to that. I've lived in Seattle for 30 years, work in the IT industry and know many high-ranking MS folks, many of whom have been in or seen Bill Gates various cars.
And they all say the same thing - the back seat of his car is filled with Dick's burger wrappers. The guy is a slob, but loves Dick's burgers. He'll go buy a bag full, eat them on the road and throw the wrappers in the back. Once every couple of weeks his assistant will take the car to have it cleaned and dump out the 20 bags of Dick's hamburger wrappers.
And btw - if you're ever in Seattle, definitely check out Dick's Drive-In. They really are the best!
Engelsstaub
October 28, 2011 at 1:51pm
Nice plug. Why don't you go eat one of those dick-burgers and tell us how it tastes too.
You work in the IT industry for Dick's Drive-in.
philipa25
October 28, 2011 at 10:03am
Five Guys? Seriously? Putting a bigger price tag on a barely average fast food burger doesn't make it taste good.
Moon Unit
October 31, 2011 at 3:25pm
I've never had an In-N-Out burger, but Five Guys is seriously over-rated. It was bland, overcooked and the fries were greasy and undercooked. Plus, EXPENSIVE!
Paul_Lilly
October 28, 2011 at 10:32am
I actually agree with you on this, and I'm offended that Five Guys is considered in the same league as In-N-Out. People seem to really like it though, hence the unbiased reference.
Slurpy
October 28, 2011 at 3:40pm
Never had the pleasure of In-And-Out, or any other "gourmet" burger, but Five Guys sure beats the hell out of McDonald's, Wendy's, or Applebee's.
Carlidan
October 28, 2011 at 6:27pm
I'm guessing that was sarcasm on In and Out. In and Out is even close to a gourmet burger. It's like any other fast food joint. It's just better then most.
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