Ben Cohen’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What Is Ben Cohen’s Net Worth and Salary?Ben Cohen is an American businessman, activist, and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $150 million. Cohen is best known for being the co-founder (with Jerry Greenfield) of the Vermont-based ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s. They started Ben & Jerry’s with $8,000 in savings and a $4,000 bank loan. Since opening their first shop in the late ’70s, Ben & Jerry’s has expanded to more than 600 shops. Today Ben & Jerry’s earns roughly $700 million annually. In 2000, the company was purchased by the food giant Unilever for $326 million. At that point, annual earnings were $237 million.Cohen resigned as the company’s Chief Executive Officer in 1996 and has not been actively involved with Ben & Jerry’s since Unilever acquired it in 2000 for $326 million. He is involved with the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, a social justice organization that was established to “fund organizations here in Vermont and around the country that are working for progressive social change.” In 1988, Ben and Jerry were named U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and in 2000, the New York Open Center honored Cohen for his “leadership in pioneering socially responsible business.” Ben and Jerry have published the books “Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book” (1987) and “Ben & Jerry’s Double Dip: How to Run a Values Led Business and Make Money Too” (1997).Early LifeBen Cohen was born Bennett Cohen on March 18, 1951, in New York City. He grew up in a Jewish household in Merrick, New York, with mother Frances and father Irving (an accountant), and he attended summer camp at Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp in Connecticut. Ben met Jerry Greenfield in gym class in seventh grade, and they both attended Sanford H. Calhoun High School. As a senior, Cohen worked as an ice cream man. After graduating from high school, Ben enrolled at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, but he dropped out in 1972, and Greenfield later moved in with him. Cohen found work as a taxi driver, McDonald’s cashier, ER clerk, and Pinkerton guard before taking a job as a craft teacher at the Highland Community School. Around this time, he began learning how to make ice cream, and in 1978, Ben and Jerry took an ice cream making course at Pennsylvania State University.CareerCohen and Greenfield opened Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream Parlor in May 1978. Their first location was in Burlington, Vermont, a college town that didn’t have an ice cream shop. They initially wanted to open a bagel shop together, but after realizing that the equipment was too expensive, they decided to focus on ice cream instead. Cohen and Greenfield each put in $4,000 to start the business, and they got a $4,000 bank loan as well. In 1980, Ben & Jerry’s began selling pints of their ice cream in grocery stores, and by 1987, the company was worth $30 million. The first franchised Ben & Jerry’s shop opened in 1981 in Shelburne, Vermont, and as of 2019, there were 615 Ben & Jerry’s locations. The company is known for flavors such as Cherry Garcia, Half Baked, Chunky Monkey, Stephen Colbert’s AmeriCone Dream, and Phish Food, and the company uses ingredients that are non-GMO, fairtrade certified, and from Certified Humane cage-free farms. In 2021, Cohen spoke to “Delish” about Ben & Jerry’s dedication to activism, stating, “The traditional business model is screw the consumer, spend a bunch of money on advertising and PR to make yourself look good and go forward like that. Ben & Jerry’s is just saying: ‘Instead of spending a lot of money trying to make ourselves look good, let’s just…be good.’ We’ve got it so that people are buying ice cream and enjoying it more because they agree with the values of the people who make it. There’s really no stronger relationship.”Personal LifeBen is passionate about philanthropy and social causes, and the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation has supported organizations such as Denver Homeless Out Loud, the Anti Displacement Project, and The Street Vendor Project. Cohen oversaw the non-profit organization Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities and the progressive advocacy group TrueMajority, and he supported Democratic presidential candidates Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards, and Barack Obama. In 2012, Ben was involved in the launch of the Stamp Stampede campaign to get money out of politics, and in 2016, he and Jerry were arrested at a Washington, D.C. Democracy Awakening protest. After the arrest, Ben & Jerry’s released the following statement: “Jerry and Ben and hundreds of others felt that they had to do something more, once the marches and the speeches came to an end. As Ben said, there’s a powerful legacy of direct action in this country….Sometimes, when something really matters, you have to put your body on the line. You have to take a stand.”In July 2021, the duo announced that they were supporting the boycott of sales of their ice cream in Israeli settlements in the West Bank’s occupied Palestinian territories. During the Democratic Party presidential primaries in 2016,  Cohen became a vocal Bernie Sanders supporter, and in January of that year, he released an ice cream called Bernie’s Yearning under his private label, Ben’s Best. He released another Bernie-inspired flavor, Bernie’s Back, in 2019, which was awarded to 40 contest winners instead of being sold in stores. Since childhood, Ben has suffered from anosmia, which has limited his taste and smell, and in a 2021 interview with “Delish,” he stated, “When Jerry and I first started creating the flavors [in the 1970s], he’d give me something to taste. He’d say, ‘Well, how do you like it?’ I said, ‘It’s good. But I can’t tell what flavor it is.’ So he would just keep on adding more flavoring until I could guess.”
Read More

Kim Dotcom’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What is Kim Dotcom’s net worth?Kim Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, is a German-Finnish internet entrepreneur who has a net worth of $10 million. Kim Dotcom first became infamous in Germany in the 90s as an Internet entrepreneur. Later, he gained global notoriety as the founder and CEO of the online file hosting and sharing service Megaupload, which was seized by the US Department of Justice in connection to copyright infringement, money laundering, wire fraud, and racketeering. Residing in New Zealand, Dotcom has since fought to avoid extradition to the US.Founded in 2005, Megaupload allowed users to upload any video they found to be viewed and shared by anyone in the world. Think of it like a YoutTube for pirated videos. Those pirated videos cost movie studios a reported $500 million in damages.At the peak of Megaupload’s success, Kim Dotcom was personally earning $150,000 a day in profits.Early LifeKim Dotcom was born as Kim Schmitz on January 21, 1974 in Kiel, West Germany. He is of German descent on his father’s side and Finnish descent on his mother’s side.Notoriety in 90s GermanyDotcom rose to infamy in his native Germany in the early 90s as an Internet entrepreneur. He ran a bulletin board system through which users could trade pirated software; he also claimed that he had circumvented the security of NASA and the Pentagon under the alias “Kimble.” In 1994, Dotcom was arrested for selling phone numbers and was held in custody for one month. Later, he was arrested again on charges of computer fraud and data espionage. Dotcom was issued a two-year suspended sentence due to his being a minor.International Fugitive in Thailand and Hong KongTo escape investigation in Germany, Dotcom moved to Thailand. However, he was eventually arrested there at the request of the German embassy. Dotcom reportedly faked his own death online in response. This failed to work, as he was ultimately deported back to Germany. In late 2003, Dotcom pleaded guilty to embezzlement, and following five months in detention was issued a suspended sentence of 20 months. Ultimately, he managed to avoid this sentence by moving to Hong Kong. There, Dotcom established a network of interlinked companies, including the AI-driven hedge fund Trendax.New Zealand MoveFollowing a pair of visits to New Zealand in 2008 and 2009, Dotcom applied for residency in the country in late 2010. Immigration New Zealand decided to grant him residency when he invested $10 million in the country; however, this was kept secret from the public. Eventually, it was revealed that Dotcom was involved in a corrupt business partnership with Auckland mayor John Banks. In 2014, Banks was found to be guilty of filing a false electoral return in connection to Dotcom.Megaupload and FalloutIn 2005, Dotcom established the online file hosting and sharing service Megaupload, of which he became CEO. The site went on to become enormously popular, drawing 50 million daily visitors and racking up $175 million in revenue. However, in early 2012, Dotcom and other executives of Megaupload were indicted in the US on charges of copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering. Shortly after this, Dotcom and other executives were arrested in New Zealand in an armed raid on Dotcom’s mansion. The police seized 18 luxury cars, among other pricey assets; moreover, Dotcom’s numerous global bank accounts were frozen. He was subsequently detained at Mt. Eden Prison.Dotcom’s case moved to the High Court of New Zealand, where it was determined that the warrants used to seize his assets were illegal on account of being too broad. Additionally, it was ruled that the New Zealand police’s handing of Dotcom’s hard drives to the FBI was illegal. Later, in 2017, Dotcom accepted a settlement from the police in relation to the raid. That year, a New Zealand court ruled that Dotcom and the other accused Megaupload executives could be extradited to the United States on charges of fraud. Dotcom continues to deny any malfeasance on his part, claiming that he is being persecuted by the US government and various industry trade groups.Political CareerDotcom entered the political fray in New Zealand in 2014 when he founded the Internet Party. Allied with the Mana Party, the Internet Party was initially led by left-wing political veteran Laila Harré. In the 2014 general election, the Party failed to win any seats, despite Dotcom contributing a huge $3.5 million to the Party. Ahead of the next general election in 2017, Suzie Dawson was made the new leader of the Internet Party. Once again, it failed to win any seats. The Internet Party was ultimately deregistered in 2018.Music CareerAfter releasing a handful of singles, Dotcom put out his debut studio album, “Good Times,” in early 2014. The album made it to number eight on the Recorded Music NZ album chart.Other EndeavorsAmong his other endeavors, Dotcom is an avid player of the video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.” Before he was arrested in New Zealand, he was the game’s number-one-ranked player in the world. On the more philanthropic side of things, Dotcom created the group Young Intelligent Hackers Against Terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Later, in 2013, he launched the cloud storage service MEGA.Personal LifeIn 2009, Dotcom married Mona Verga, whom he had first met in 2007. Together, the two had twin girls. Dotcom also has three children from prior relationships. The couple eventually separated in 2014. In early 2018, Dotcom married Elizabeth Donnelly, who is 21 years his junior.Kim Dotcom Broke?In November 2014, Kim announced that he was “officially broke”. He claims he lost the majority of his fortune when his assets were seized in July 2014. He has also spent a small fortune defending himself over the last year and has transferred remaining assets out of his name to protect them from prosecution. His lawyer Ira Rothken recently confirmed:'”Kim Dotcom is broke because the largest copyright case in US history has cost about $10 million to date to defend and will cost tens of millions of dollars more going forward.”Luxurious LifestyleBefore his arrest, Dotcom/Schmitz lived a life that any man on earth would envy. In 2011, Kim personally earned $40 million thanks to Megaupload.He owned a fleet of expensive high performance cars, yachts, private jets and one of the most expensive houses in New Zealand that cost a reported $25 million. He traveled the world with Playboy bunnies and drove around in a Lamborghini that had the license plate “GOD”. When he was arrested on January 19th, 2012, authorities seized $5 million worth of luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe with a price tag of $400,000.Kim Dotcom’s Former Luxury Lifestyle Facts: Megaupload’s main office in Hong Kong was actually a $12,000 a day luxury hotel suite. When police raided his house they seized $5 million worth of cars. Kim’s cars had license plates like “HACKER”, “STONED”, “GUILTY”, “MAFIA” and “GOD”. Kim lived in a $25 million New Zealand mansion. Megaupload.com was hosted on over 1,500 servers located in Virginia, France and the Netherlands. Megaupload.com had 180 million registered members and 50 million daily unique visitors. It was the 13th most visited website in the world. Kim spent $500,000 on a New Years fireworks display in Auckland which he watched from above in his helicopter.Kim Dotcom Height and WeightHow tall is Kim Dotcom? Kim Dotcom’s height is 6 foot 7. His weight roughly 330 pounds.New Zealand MansionIn March 2019 a YouTuber named Erick Tseng posted a rare video tour of Kim Dotcom’s mansion, one of the most expensive in all of New Zealand, valued at around $25 million. As you might expect from someone of Dotcom’s interests, the mansion is an eccentric tech millionaire utopia, with lavish design touches that often look more like something out of The Sims than an actual home for humans to live in. That’s true despite the fact that Dotcom hasn’t actually lived here for some time.Dotcom’s master bedroom (a phrase that doesn’t even begin to convey how large it is) is the focus of the video tour, and words don’t quite capture the bizarre sensibility that clearly went into its design and furnishing. One especially strange touch is the bathroom, which foregoes the usual sense of enclosed privacy in favor of a sink, bathtub, and toilet scattered haphazardly in a room that apparently used to be a sun room – complete with large windows for taking in the estate while in your most private moments, as well as a big screen TV mounted on the wall. The bathtub itself would look somewhat unusual even in a traditional bathroom, surrounded as it is by a white padded bench, presumably for either bath time spectators or those waiting in line for their chance in the tub.Just outside the bathroom, there’s Dotcom’s old lap pool, complete with an elaborate lighting scheme that again seems like something a 12-year-old would dream up. From there, you can find the massive walk-in closet with an elaborate array of mirrors inside, reminiscent of the hall of mirrors owned by Mr. Han in the film Enter the Dragon. I haven’t even gotten to the panic room yet, which is reportedly where Dotcom was finally arrested after authorities took a while to find it. You’ll see how he was able to stay hidden, as well as a ton of other odd touches and details to the home, in the video below:
Read More

Chip Ganassi’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

What Is Chip Ganassi’s Net Worth?Chip Ganassi is a former American racecar driver and current racing team owner who has a net worth of $100 million. He founded Chip Ganassi Racing in 1990, and he is also the organization’s CEO. Ganassi is the only team owner to have won the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 (Daytona), Brickyard 400, and 12 Hours of Sebring, and In 2016, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Chip has appeared in the 2001 film “Driven” and the documentaries “Born Racer” (2018) and “Become Who You Are” (2020).Early LifeChip Ganassi was born Floyd Ganassi Jr. on May 24, 1958, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the son of Marie and Floyd Ganassi, Sr., who passed away in 2011 and 2013, respectively, and he has a sister named Annette. Chip attended Fox Chapel Area High School and the Bob Bondurant Driving School as a teenager, and after graduating from high school in 1978, he earned a finance degree from Duquesne University in 1982.Driving CareerWhen Ganassi was 18 years old, he won his first auto race while driving a Formula Ford. In 1982, he began his Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) career, and a broken camshaft prevented him from finishing his first race, but he did qualify with fastest speed at 197 miles per hour. Chip competed in the Indianapolis 500 every year from 1982 to 1986, and he finished in the top 10 in 1983’s race. That year he was voted Most Improved Driver, and he was ranked #9 in the CART standings.In 1984, Ganassi’s full-time racing career ended when he was involved in a crash with Al Unser, Jr. at the Michigan International Speedway. After Chip’s car hit the Armco barrier, it tumbled a few times and ended up breaking apart. Ganassi suffered “swelling of the brain, cuts and bruises and a broken bone in the right hand … [and] was unconscious for 12 to 14 hours.” Chip said of the experience, “I was out of the car for six months, and it gave me a different perspective of what it meant to be in the car. I had been in the car for so long that I didn’t know what it was like to be out of it.” He competed in approximately 30 races after the crash.Chip Ganassi RacingIn 1990, he decided to start his own team, Chip Ganassi Racing. Chip Ganassi Racing won CART championships in 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, and from 2008 to 2011, the organization’s drivers won four consecutive Indy Racing League (now known as the IndyCar Series) championships. Chip Ganassi Racing has won more than 240 races, including 27 NASCAR Cup Series, 22 NASCAR Xfinity Series, and 18 IMSA races.Personal LifeChip formerly served as vice president of his father’s organization FRG Group, which was involved in transportation and commercial real estate. He was previously a minority owner of the Major League Baseball team the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ganassi has been a supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for years, and his teams have donated more than $500,000 to the hospital. In 2011, Chip received an Honorary Doctorate from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University. He is married to Cara Small Ganassi and they have a daughter named Tessa.
Read More