Gates loses No. 1 spot in net worth

CNN Money ^ | April 4, 2004 | Reuters

[yonif]

STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) - Ingvar Kamprad, the Swede who founded furniture retail chain IKEA, has overtaken Microsoft's Bill Gates as the world's richest man, Swedish TV news reported on Sunday.

Citing next week's edition of the Swedish business weekly Veckans Affarer, public service SVT2 television said Kamprad, 77, has a personal fortune of 400 billion crowns ($53 billion).

[Mr. Mojo]

Kamprad, known for frugal habits such as flying economy class

Iow, a nutcase.

[dirtboy]

Great. The two richest men in the world make crappy furniture and buggy software.

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[MegaSilver]

Great. The two richest men in the world make crappy furniture and buggy software.

Is it really so surprising?

[NickRails]

Great. The two richest men in the world make crappy furniture and buggy software.

IKEA furniture was once described to me as "first apartment after college furniture". When you move out, you just leave it.

[dirtboy]

IKEA furniture was once described to me as "first apartment after college furniture". When you move out, you just leave it.

Yeah, but you're stuck with Windows (expect the Linux folks to descend like locusts at this point).

[A CA Guy]

Soon they will all be worth far less than: .

The Franken decade is long gone, next the Hung decade is upon us like a bowling ball landing on your foot. In short order he will overwhelm the list as the richest man in the world by way of pure...talent?

[threat matrix]

The guy is a genius, pure and simple.

[threat matrix]

listen to clips of Willam Hungs album! http://www.williamhung.net/clips.cfm

[cmsgop]

Did she really bang though??????

[ValerieUSA]

He is so rich because he lives in Switzerland, not Sweden, where nearly everything would have been confiscated in taxes.

[A CA Guy]

We'll see how well hung does on his albulm. I think we see the birth of the next Tiny Tim type act.

He makes you laugh and cry at the same time.

I've heard of Tone Loc, but this has to be Tone Deaf.

[A CA Guy]

If this was Britney Spears, then most certainly so.

[threat matrix]

That is a perfect analogy, I honestly believe that he could have a career doing this like Tiny Tim.

Whatever IT is, William has got it!

[A CA Guy]

You think they take into account that and isn't much of Gates wealth quoted in pre-taxed dollars?

[TomEwall]

Slightly better than making crappy software and buggy furniture.

[A CA Guy]

Yes, he has the same kind of appeal as watching a car accident scene on the street.

Wouldn't it be funny if a couple of decades from now Hung's career will be the most successful of all the American Idol people and hoopla?

She bang, she bang...LOL

I think he also sings "I believe I can fry... or fly" I can't make out the words he attempts to out there.

[TopQuark]

Great. The two richest men in the world make crappy furniture and buggy software.

WHen you (i) learn something about how a business functions and what consumer demand is, and (ii) create something in this world other than passing warm air trrough yout lips --- then you can takes such elevated position. Until then, get down from that horse: you are only screaming that you are a kid that does not know how to ride.

[freethistle]

uh, if Gates lost his position as richest man because of the slide in the dollar, where does that put the rest of us Americans versus the rest of the world?