The greatest salesman in U.S. history delivers the keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville. Jon Cherry/Getty Images Looking at Donald Trump’s finances, it’s easy to miss one of his most important assets: bitcoin. The cryptocurrency appears nowhere on the financial disclosure the president files with the government. It is not listed among…
Some of Big Tech’s greatest success stories are from college dropouts. Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook in 2004 from his Harvard University dorm room (and later dropped out). Bill Gates also left Harvard and cofounded Microsoft with Paul Allen in 1975. But Jeff Bezos, founder of the world’s largest online retailer Amazon, said Zuckerberg and Gates…
In 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter, now known as X, stating it was to promote a “digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.” Upon his purchase, Musk loosened content moderation policies and reinstated many previously banned accounts, including that of President Donald Trump. In this excerpt…
On Sept. 29, 1916, it was front page news that a surge in Standard Oil’s stock price likely made oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller America’s first billionaire. More than a century later, the United States is home to hundreds of billionaires whose fortunes increasingly come from technology and financial markets. Together, they control a growing…
Since its initial synthesis by the German pharmaceutical company Merck in 1912, the drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA) — better known by the street terms “ecstasy” or “molly” — has lived many lives. From its brief time being tested as a top-secret truth serum in US Army trials to its dual uses as a therapeutic tool and party…
America’s billionaires are older than ever, with one in five already in their 80s or 90s. That doesn’t mean they are necessarily slowing down. Warren Buffett took a seat on stage at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting for the sixtieth – and likely final time in May. He wore a red tie that matched the two…
Even though he may seem like an easy-going, Coca-Cola-loving old man, he admits his leadership style can sometimes be “ruthless.” In fact, the billionaire sent a stark reminder to his manager every two years of his nonnegotiables, which include “to zealously guard Berkshire’s reputation,” something he believes is the foundation of the entire enterprise. “We…
Figma burst onto the public stock exchange last week, surging in share price by 333% and hitting a market cap of over $70 billion in just the first few days of trading. For investors bullish on startups, last week was a rejuvenation after a sluggish stretch in the IPO market. But for Figma cofounder and…
Elon Musk claims to have slashed billions of dollars worth of wasteful spending during his time as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—but his controversial role may have done more damage to his pocketbook than he anticipated. This year alone, Musk has lost some $80 billion in his net worth, bringing his current…
Growing up, many little girls were told they should be seen and not heard. The billionaire philanthropist Melinda French Gates, however, was told something entirely different: that she could do anything—and it shaped who she is today. “My father, who worked on the Apollo missions, believed that women could do anything,” French Gates recently said…