Tom Perkins on 60 minutes tonight..

I have no clue who Tom Perkins is.

 

That boat is gorgeous !

 

Pretty much a legend in the VC world.

 

Is CBS-B different than CBS ? I have 60 minutes on CBS-Babout Iraq now

 

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137200761#post137200761

Also posted this, but didnt get enough information.

 

Saw the segment with the yacht and how everything is electronic. Way to take the fun out of sailing, Tom.

 

I didnt see it, they have been talking about Curveball and Elephant ivory. and now its on

 

It may be just that I'm in a weird mood tonight, but he seems like a total jackass.

RMX

 

I got the same vibe, but it could've been the editing. I didn't know who he was before tonight in case that matters to anyone.

 

I'll watch the DVR tomorrow of the show, but reading over the link at 60 minutes:

This part seems weird:

"I'm embarrassed about that," Perkins admits.
Asked why, Perkins says, "There's the homeless and charity and there's lots of things you could do with that money that would improve the world, right?"

"Oh, good point. That you bring up yourself?" Stahl asks.

"Yeah," Perkins says. "So, you know, 'How selfish is this guy?' is, I guess, is the criticism. So the answer's pretty selfish, but I'm just not gonna put a number on it."


Of course, reading the article, it kind of looks like 60 minutes was trying to embrass him for earning what he has. Of course, Leslie was the same journalist who got Sarkozy upset after she kind of stuck her nose into his marriage. I'll watch the clip tomorrow.

 

I did some reading up on him. Sounds like he's a brillant man with a great vision.

 

any idea what was in his collection other than those mentioned above? i read that he sold his entire collection for a total of 60 million

I also thought he came off like a jackass.

 

The reporter was asking him questions that made him sound like an ass. What did you pay for it? Is it an ego boost? Why won't you, blah, blah, blah. He earned it, spend the ****, flaunt it, blow up your ego. Play on player! You can easily tell he has a big ego, and he gladly admitted to it. Maybe he admitted to it a bit too much. "Without me, SV wouldn't exist." Most people would say: "well, even if I had that kind of money, I would never change." Those people haven't been put in that unfortunate situation yet, but want to be a hero. They make decisions based upon their current SES.

 

I caught the first segment of 60 Minutes (lying Iraqi scientist) and DVR'd the rest so I can catch the Tom Perkins segment later. Anything with a CGT in it is worthy of a DVR.

Without even seeing it though and reading some of what's been said in this thread, I think it sounds like a common case of the media trying to make a guy look bad for enjoying his wealth. Perhaps it wasn't an all out ambush to make the guy look like a complete schmuck, but still, there was at least a little bit of that going on. What's so wrong with a guy living out his dreams & passions after "making it"? Not every penny has to be spent on charity and making the world a better place. Hopefully he is a chartible guy and gives back his fair share, but the media needs to stop punishing people for going all out on a few things that they might have been dreaming about for 50+ yrs. Would have been nice if he fired back with something like "is it necessary to pay Katie Couric $15 million per year to relay some news that a $100k/yr employee could do? Don't you think that money could have been much better spent somewhere else to make the world a better place?"

 

holy moly that is one NICE Yacht.

 

I agree 100%. I have very high ambitions and lucid dreams of living in a castle/mansion. I will without a doubt give to charity organizations and the such, but I will also enjoy the wealth I obtain lavishly. After all, I'm the one that worked hard for it and fulfilled dreams by working hard that I've had since I was 6.

For those of you that missed it, here's a online link to the episode; http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=3450746n

If you're looking for a crazy yacht collector (that far exceeds Mr. Perkins yachts) checkout Roman Abramovich's collection.

They are not sailboat yachts, but they are gigantic masterpieces of luxury living.

-Dan Baker

 

Nah, it had something to do with his mannerisms and attitude. Can't put my finger on it, but I'm not sure I would trust the guy. I got the feeling that a lot of bodies and ruined lives have been created in this guy's wake.

Could be totally off here, but I've met a few people in my life that remind me of this fella. Again, hard to tell from an interview on TV. I didn't like him 10 seconds after he opened his mouth. Of course, there are brilliant, less than noble people out there. Not that I'd want to hang out with them, but just the same.

RMX

 

I didn't sense that he was a jackass. Honestly, blunt, and a bit of ego, but I don't know if quite a jackass. Of course, the questions were made to look him like an ass.

 

Didn't catch it.

But what did Grumpy Old Man Rooney whine about? The fact that beans make him fart, or that his hearing aid bothers him? I can't stand that guy.

 

Typical liberal 60 minutes line of questioning..that said - name anyone with his wealth who doesn't have an ego and come off as a jackass, except Buffett?

 

I didnt get this jackass vibe at all.

 

But yeah stupid questions ...who cares why he wants the biggest sailboat ??

 

Am I the only one who thought that the interviewer came off a lot worse than the interviewee? That was one of the worst interviews I have ever seen.