BizJournals Portfolio
Home >   Business Views, Opinions and Blogs >   Business Blogs >   Market Movers >  

The Richest Jew In The World

Market Movers

by Felix Salmon
Main
Annals of Crap Research, M&A Leaks Edition   Wheat and Water Subsidy Datapoints of the Day

Recent Blog Posts

Links

Jun 23 2008 12:00am EDT

The Richest Jew in the World?

If you have the time, Connie Bruck has an enormous 12,500-word profile of Sheldon Adelson in the latest New Yorker - written, interestingly, without his cooperation. Let's just say Adelson doesn't come across as a very sympathetic individual:

According to a guest at a reception in Washington a few years ago, Adelson remarked to President Bush, "You know, I am the richest Jew in the world." He also introduced himself that way to a former Israeli official recently. The investment banker Ken Moelis said that when he saw Adelson not long ago he was surprised to hear him refer to himself as "Sheldon Adelson III." "I said, 'I never realized your father was Sheldon Adelson II,' " Moelis recalled. "And he said, 'He wasn't! But I'm the third-richest American!' "

Adelson's outsize persona and bullying tactics, especially with regard to Israel, reminded me of no one so much as the late Robert Maxwell - possibly the first person ever to be a negative billionaire. It's still possible, if Adelson comes unstuck in Macau, that the same fate might befall him.

. □

blog comments powered by Disqus
Real Business, Real Results
Out of the 'Family'

Did anyone at Microsoft ever watch the (gasp!) offensively funny show Family Guy?

Cruz Missile Lands

Ex-Morgan Stanley exec Zoe Cruz is now heading her own hedge fund. Are Wall Street's leaders done?

Scandal Chic

Martha, Bernie and Skilling know that what you wear for court can go a long way in public perception.

spotlight on

Health Care

Bad to the Bone No More

Companies such as General Mills say they're stepping up efforts to change employees' bad behavior and promote healthier lifestyles. Read More