This article is from the archive of our partner .
For the amount that Facebook just spent on Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg could've paid for the cure to Lou Gehrig's disease, ramped up New York City's 911 system, or ... purchased the Solo Cup company. We know because we checked.
Here's a quick rundown of what $1 billion can buy you (or Zuckerberg):
- The entire New York Times, says Reuters' Jack Shafer
- The ability to buy out New York Times CEO Janet Robinson 42 times
-
800 of
AOL'sMicrosoft's patents
- 1,250 scandal-inducing, team-building government conferences akin to the General Service Administration's $800,000 Las Vegas shindig
- The cure for Lou Gehrig's disease
- Solo Cups (the company)
- The amount BP has pledged toward Gulf Restoration
- Soccer team Real Madrid's Island in the UAE
- The winnings of every Powerball jackpot in 2007
- All of J.Lo's love (it's gratis!)
That said, there are some things $1 billion can't buy you... like a chain of 99-cent stores. So take that, Zuckerberg.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.