This week: Goodbye Bezos, Hello Armstrong - the billionaire life cycle
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On Thursday, Amazon founder Jeff Bezospenned his final letter as CEO of the retail giant he launched 27 years ago. Bezos' letters are an annual tradition, and his farewell address is full of insight about his views on the business and current events, with warnings about threats to democracy and the environment, and the need for all us to proactively take action.
Here's how he signed off: "Be kind, be original, create more than you consume, and never, never, never let the universe smooth you into your surroundings. It remains Day 1."
Stock pops - whether of the first day of IPOs or direct listings - aren't forever.
Sure, no one wants to work in an office where employees are distracted and riven by cable TV-like partisan shouting matches. But that doesn't mean businesses are entitled to check out and look the other way on important issues that affect the lives of their customers.
On the same day of Coinbase's Nasdaq debut, 100 other companies made headlines for speaking out against effforts to limit voting rights. Among the signatories: Google, Goldman Sachs, Target, and Amazon - businesses that have managed to do pretty well over the years.
"It is the single most awkward experience that you can go through as a man. You have maybe five, 10 minutes to - what they call - 'produce the specimen.'"
It's still just a design, but if the Earth 300 ever makes it into open waters it could change the way we think of boat travel.
The 300 meter-long yacht will be nuclear powered, using a molten-salt reactor based on technology from the Bill Gates-funded TerraPower company. The giant, 13-story dark glass sphere near the ship's stern will apparently house a "science city" where a crew of researchers will work. But the ship will also have room for VIPs and tourists (and given the projected fare of $3 million per ticket, perhaps even a few stowaways).
Building this ship is expected to cost between $500 million and $700 million, with a target launch date of 2025 (though it could take several more years for the atomic engine to get regulatory clearance). That gives you plenty of time to compile your "yacht rock" playlist, atomic-edition.
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