Well, revelers, the coronavirus is sweeping the nation and I don't think so the right way. We all need to do our part to smooth the curve and help stop the spread of the insidious virus. Stay at home. If you need groceries or medicine, send a member of your household to get it. Now is not the time for family trips to the grocery store, the park, hiking trails, or really anywhere outside your home.
In the meantime, our favorite billionaires are still making an impact, whether it's a nearly $ 600 million deaf Instagram post, anger at coronavirus curfews, a new billionaire in the making from of the potential vaccine, or, you know, Dan Gilbert of Quicken is trying to do more good in Detroit. Buckle up and adjust your face masks, this is the latest edition of the Billionaire Roundup.
David Geffen faces backlash for Instagram post "Self-Isolation" on $ 590 million Caribbean superyacht
Billionaire David Geffen recently got a little behind on an Instagram post. Recently, Geffen published photos of his 590 million dollar superyacht in the Caribbean. He captioned it: "Sunset last night. Isolated in the Grenadines to avoid the virus. I hope everyone stays safe." He faced an immediate backlash, people calling his position shameful and disconnected. His yacht, the Rising Sun, was built for Larry Ellison.
The yacht includes a gym, cinema room and wine cellar. It has been present in the Caribbean since mid-November, commuting between Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since February. But hey, he's been an incredibly wealthy man for three decades, is there a way to isolate that wouldn't be out of touch with ordinary people? The day after the reaction, Geffen seems to have deleted his Instagram account.
Egyptian billionaire threatens to kill himself if coronavirus curfew not lifted after two weeks
The second richest man in Egypt, Naguib Sawiris, threatened to kill himself if the measures, in particular a curfew, to combat the spread of Covid-19 were not lifted after two weeks. He would also like workers to return to factories at the end of the April 8 quarantine deadline to avoid an economic collapse. In an interview, the billionaire continued to distort data on the virus by saying that "it only kills 1% of patients, most of whom are elderly."
The Egyptian Ministry of Health has reported 656 confirmed cases, including 41 deaths, and 151 people who have recovered. Sawiris suggested that employees sleep in factories and not go home. Sawiris' comments have been widely criticized. He was called to make a donation to fight the virus. So far, he has resisted, claiming that a large part of his wealth was invested in gold which he called "a crisis insurance policy".
CEO of drug maker behind coronavirus vaccine sees net worth jump and joins billionaire ranks
Stephan Bancel, born in France, 47, CEO of the Cambridge-based biotechnology company, Massachusetts Moderna Therapeutics is a brand new billionaire. How did it happen? His company has announced that it is entering phase two of human trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, which has boosted stocks by almost 12% and propelled its net worth above the billion dollar mark. Moderna's vaccine is the first in the world to begin human trials.
These began on March 16 and the company is expected to advance to phase two of the human trials in the spring or early summer. The vaccine was developed with researchers from the National Institutes of Health and is one of more than three dozen vaccines in development. Bancel holds an MBA from Harvard Business School as well as two Masters in Engineering from Ecole Centrale Paris and the University of Minnesota. He has been working at Moderna Therapeutics since 2011.
Billionaire Dan Gilbert wants to save Detroit from coronavirus
Founder of Quicken Loans and passionate about Detroit Dan Gilbert pool their resources in case Detroit becomes the latest hot spot for coronavirus. The billionaire is from Detroit and has played a key role in the resurgence of the city since 2010. He bought and renovated dozens of properties in downtown Detroit and moved his employees there. This allowed Microsoft, Twitter and Chrysler to also invest in Detroit.
Gilbert now controls over 100 businesses and has committed them to providing millions of dollars in financial support and services to the city. Detroit has a large part of the population living below the poverty line - around 37% - which makes its population of 670,000 inhabitants particularly vulnerable. The Quicken Loans community fund has bought a machine that will allow it to produce 500,000 surgical masks per week for local health workers when it arrives from China next month. The fund, along with the Gilbert family foundation, also announced a $ 1.2 million donation to help efforts against coronaviruses in Detroit.