We all know about Trent Reznor’s connections with Facebook via The Social Network, and I’m sure you’ve all tried really hard to friend Steve Albini after reading his food blog and sensing a possible connection over your love of homemade spring rolls. Little did you know that Bono, when he isn’t giving away money for AIDS research or impoverished villages in Africa, also has a shrewd eye for personal get-rich-quick schemes. In 2009, his investment company purchased $210 million worth of shares in Facebook, which, as of this week, has risen to $975 million (according to NME, via The Guardian). Yeah. His company, Elevation Partners, was worth $50 billion last December (a figure calculated before Facebook was recently valued at $65 billion, making the overall company just a bit more). I’ll bet you wish you’d bought stocks with that graduation money your grandparents gave you.
So hate U2 just a little bit more now? You may not have a billion dollars, but at least you’re not alone — and hey, maybe you should donate to the Red Cross or something to feel better about yourself.
• Bono: http://www.u2.com
