Bill Gates' Cost-Benefit Calculation

During one of my many idle moments last week, I wondered how much money Bill Gates would have to drop before it was worth his while bending over to pick it up.

During one of my many idle moments this week, I decided to work it out…

Assumptions made:

  • Bill Gates' personal worth is approximately $78.74 billion.
  • Even if he doesn't sell a single Microsoft product ever again, with this kind of money in the bank, Bill can expect to earn at least 10% p.a. in interest.
  • It would take Bill 2 seconds to pick up the carelessly dropped money.
  • There are approximately 31,557,600 seconds in a year.

Calculation:

Interest earned by Bill Gates in 2 seconds =

($78.74 billion X 10% ÷ 31,557,600) X 2 =

$499

i.e. In answer to my original question, Bill Gates has to drop at least $500 before it is worth his while bending over to pick it up.

… And the nutter still works for a living!

Richard Carter

A fat, bearded chap with a Charles Darwin fixation.

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