“I guess that check from Al Jazeera must have cleared, because Al Gore is in the news with another major score,” Igor Greenwald reports for Forbes. “Two weeks after pulling down a reported $100 million from the sale of Current TV to the Qatar-based news network, the man so many love to hate is at it again, this time by exercising options entitling him to buy 59,000 Apple shares for the excellent price of $7.475 each.”
“So Gore has just spent a little over $440,000 to acquire stock worth nearly $30 million as of Thursday’s close,” Greenwald reports. “And what did he do for all that money? Attended a board meeting a few times a year for the last decade. Had Steve Jobs’ back when it counted. That’s all. Not bad for someone who didn’t invent the Internet.”
Greenwald opines, “Guess what? He made his millions fair and square—which is to say as fairly as the next guy. He was brought onto Apple’s board by Steve Jobs—the man who gave Gore the options to buy the stock at its price at the time, the same man who then turned that piffle into a vast fortune. Gore was there for the run from $7 a share to $700 a share—in fact those options had to be exercised in March by the 10th anniversary of his arrival.”
“Gore didn’t just make the guy who boosted the share price a hundred-fold comfortable. He handled tricky assignments like investigating the backdating of executive options, so Jobs could concentrate on iThings,” Greenwald writes. “And while doing that he found the time to push global warming way up the political agenda, advise Google and join Kleiner Perkins as a venture capitalist. And, of course, to turn his little cable TV channel into a $100 million payday.
Greenwald writes, “So yeah, Al Gore knows something about capitalism… As a vice president, Gore was, well, a vice president. But as a businessman, he’s been nothing short of brilliant. I’m glad Silicon Valley rewarded that talent. And if you’re mad instead, you must be a socialist.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Slammed those puppies right into the lockbox, Al did.
Related articles:
Apple board member Al Gore sells Current TV to Al Jazeera – January 3, 2013
Apple board member Al Gore inaugurated into Internet Hall Of Fame – April 25, 2012
Apple board member Al Gore faces conflict of interest charges over Apple’s hydrogen power plans – April 9, 2012
Al Gore accused of abusing his Apple Board of Directors position for personal gain (with video) – February 22, 2012
Apple board member Al Gore accused of being a ‘crazed sex poodle’ in police statement – June 24, 2010
Apple Board member Al Gore to separate from wife Tipper after 40 years of marriage – June 1, 2010
Apple Board member Al Gore gets 10,387 more Apple options – March 1, 2010
Apple Board member Al Gore mocked at Apple shareholders meeting – February 26, 2010
Apple board member Al Gore gets option to buy 10,000 shares – March 24, 2008
Apple pays tribute to Al Gore’s Nobel Peace Prize win – October 12, 2007
Environmental groups tell Al Gore to push for greener Apple – April 4, 2007
Democrats talk the talk but when it comes to walking the walk, they inevitably shrink from the edge of the abyss, preferring instead to preach how holy they are but yet fornicating like dirty rabbits in the hutch.
If they’re going to raise taxes on citizens to 90% of income, shouldn’t Mr. Gore pay those taxes first to pay down the national debt before gorging himself on more money by buying Apple shares on the cheap.
Total hypocrite.
Didn’t you?
oops, Al Gore hasn’t held public office since the 2000 election!
You are the dumbest MF I have ever encountered.
Well, the word “NUT” is right there in his name…
Bullshit, BLN. What turds like you don’t understand is that democrats in this country are not socialists anymore than republicans are. You are either dumb enough to be buying those lies or evil enough to be spreading them. The only people talking about 90% tax rates are idiots like you who haven’t realized yet that the republicans lost the elections despite your lies. And you have clearly never lived in a socialist country to know what socialism is.
Cute. Name calling shows your intellect to be somewhere near that of a 3rd grade child.
Yet, nearly every day, I read Democrat postings whinging how America would be better if it were a Socialist nation.
Either you’re deaf, blind or incredibly dense- But whatever the case, you’re waaaaaay off base, cos there are Lefties coast to coast that say, publicly, they WANT socialism here.
You’re right. I shouldn’t have stooped to BLN’s level by calling him names. And one of the downsides of the interwebs is that it gives every nutcase a voice – including rabid republicans and loony leftists. So you can read as much crap as you want on any topic. But no sensible person on either side of the aisle truly believes the Dems want true “socialism” as that word is commonly understood. Of course, the US has for many decades had some socialist aspects – every western societies has. In the big picture the repubs and the dems are only a couple of shades of grey apart. But BLN’s posts are clearly not sensible. His posts indicate he is very much on the “rabid” side.
You’re right, they’re COMMUNISTS, dishonest in their rant against the rich while protecting their own prized, bloated poessessions, and Black Sea dauchas. But that’s okay, keep buying their line of BS. Liberty’s dead, anyway.
And there is no F—ing thing as a Socialist. It’s communism, the only possible expression of Marxism. Collectivist vs individualist. You’re one or the other. Deal with it.
COMMUNISTS!… Riiiighhhhhht…..
Throwing around those big words does not by itself make you seem like you know what you are talking – er, ranting – about.
You are a moron of the lowest order.
At this point you really have two options:
1. Go back to school and fill that empty head of yours with something other than right wing blather
or
2. Kill yourself… Your continued existence is worthless to the human race and contributes to it’s decline.
Deal with it…
Re- BLN
Don’t let facts get the way of your fact deficient hate fest.
When The Clinton/Gore Administration left office due to the appointment of Dubya by the 5 Republican appointees of the Supreme Court, we had a budget surplus and were paying down our debt. Had we continued on that path there would be NO FEDERAL DEBT at this point instead of the mess we are in.
Instead, the newly appointed President cut taxes repeatedly even as he increased spending, started 2 wars and added the Rx program to Medicare without a supporting tax- exploding the budget deficit.
This was with a Republican President, Senate, House and Supreme Court.
Funny how deficits and debt do not matter to “Conservatives” when the Republicans are in charge- only when the Democrats are.
Wow, talk about not letting facts get in your way….what a load of revisionism.
If you are going to play the straight man, at least use facts and not opinions, otherwise the only ones ‘swayed’ by your argument are the ones already sitting in your choir.
Everything AP wrote actually happened. I was there and remember it all.
Please enlighten us as to where he is factually incorrect.
The numbers do not lie.
Gore won Florida by all possible consistent standards applied to the ballots after they were released by Florida.
The budget figures speak for themselves. The entire debt would have been retired by now.
Bush’s war in Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11.
Bush’s mismanagement in Afghanistan is why we are still there.
Bush’s Tax Cuts blew a hole in the budget.
Bush’s growth in spending was so bad even some Republicans have complained about it.
Medicare D was enacted without a supporting tax and is a major driver of our deficit.
These are all gifts from the Republican Party.
The numbers do not lie. Various recounts have actually shown Bush won. Move on.
Budget supluses in 2000, if continued, would not have paid down the debt. Off budget is trillions in unfunded benefits. Social Security was raided to meet that “balance” as well, not to mention the military being neutured.
You’re right – Iraq was invaded because they were dropping missles on Israel, and hand WMDS (non-nucluear – observe your surroundings and be a part of history, not just some nut).
Afghanistan is a mess, as is Iraq – BECAUSE YOU PINKIE LEFTISTS LACK THE BALLS TO FIGHT A REAL FIGHT. Excuse my yelling.
Tax cuts kep they economy from collapsing and growing. Much like any credit credit that isn’t limited and required to be paid.
D was pushed by Democrats with old foliks as a wedge issue, and yup, Bush caved. Just like low down housing for the poor. Thank Pelosi and Frank. You want to toss blame around, look in your flock for black sheep, too.
My MY, what an ignorant APE you are.
Bush was elected by the right wing controlled diebold company.
Military Nuetured? I wish your mom was, this is the biggest lie out of your mouth so far monkey boy. We spend more than anywhere in the world because reich winger like you lye awake trembling at night thinking of all the imaginary commies coming to invade. I’ve been to war, it’s ugly. I am certain I know infinitely more than you.
No WMD were EVER found dumbs, stop claiming imaginary lies. Isreal deserves what it gets for being an aggressive prick, just like you.
NO Afghanistan is a mess because most of the generals put in charge have FSCKED it up from the beginning. It was never a winning proposition to be on the ground there, it was a cash grab for Bush and Cheny’s cronies you dolt.
SPin your trickle down lies elsewhere. Recorded US history says otherwise. You know what trickles down? Piss, down your leg as you piss yourself with fear.
Your right, we should piss on the old and the poor and worship wealth, you soulless prick….
I can’t stand Al Gore, but the Clinton SURPLUS lie makes me more mad. Clinton was on the path of HILLARY-CARE,
Every bit as bad or worse than OBAMACARE and then the dems and libtards were destroyed in the midterms putting an end to socialized medicine for a few years. NEWT and the republicans got the budget under control, and negotiated every cent, and then CLINTON, being a pragmatist, moved to the RIGHT. Clinton then benefited greatly by the tax revenue generated by the PRIVATE sector due to heavy investment and productivity gains from technology. Yes, the government brings in more revenue when the private sector does well, and when there are LOWER taxes, spurring on investment in business. Trickle down is the ONLY WAY to grow an economy like the US. Who here has ever been hired by the POOR, most of which pay NO real taxes. As for WMD, the war was not over WMD it was over Hussein’s defiance of over 30 UN resolutions, yes the UN that the libtards worship,
Here is is on the WHITE HOUSE website.
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/decade/sect2.html
Hussein was given many a chance to let avoid war. ALSO, the war was voted for nearly unanimously by congress, including most DEMS.
This does not take away from Bush being irresponsible for medicare part D, which by the way was a component of Hillary Care. The DEMS and libtards loved it and still do.
AND voted for it. As a fiscal conservative, I hate it the spending by both parties. It’s too late now. Maybe Paul Krugman can sell us on printing more money.. as long as it spends like the Trillion dollar coin theory.
OBAMA and Harry Reid has not passed a budget in nearly 4 years. which is illegal, Why the republicans don’t call that out is beyond me. Obama hate capitalism, could not run a lemonade stand profitably, and is a shill.
And AL GORE, the biggest hypocrite on earths surface gets to laugh all the way to the bank, bilking FOOLS, even board members at APPLE in believing anything he has to say has any value.
There is a special place in Hell waiting for Al Gore. CHOKE On your money AL, How much did you pay TIPPER to stay quiet. The Science is NOT settled and I will shout you down at an appearance someday.
Have a great weekend!
I will have a nice weekend thanks. But goodness, please calm down so you can have a nice weekend too. And you should have some respect for the man who invented the Internet. And he’s so green too. What would we know about global warming if it were not for Al? I believe I read somewhere that he owes all his success to a daily massage. Perhaps it would help you? You know, calm your nerves.
AG-
Let’s put the hate, partisanship aside and talk facts.
When was the last time the U.S. federal government balanced the budget?
During the Clinton years we had a budget surplus for how many years? And how many years since?
Did it affect the national debt? If you answer yes, by how much?
“Had we continued on that path there would be NO FEDERAL DEBT at this point instead of the mess we are in.”
Possibly, but the last four years the national debt reached all-time highs. Agree?
BLM is correct. Algore is a power/money hungry quasi socialist when it comes to your money, and an idle rich guy capitalist when it comes to his money. Just like most politicians – left or right.
…”If they’re going to raise taxes on citizens to 90% of income, shouldn’t Mr. Gore pay those taxes first”
How do you propose he (or anyone else) does that? If I understand your taxation laws correctly, current top tax rate is only 35%, not more. Whatever Al Gore is paying is most certainly NOT above 35% (nobody pays more). Before Mr. Gore (or anyone else) can actually “be the first to pay” those 90% taxes, your lawmakers will first have to pass the law to increase the top rate to 90%.
What you are saying makes absolutely no sense. I have yet to hear of any single person ever voluntarily donating their own personal money to the government (which what you seem to propose that Al Gore do).
Huh, it’s as if Democrats are just as capitalist as Republicans, if not more so, and all that stuff about Democrats being socialists are lies that fall apart under even the smallest bit of critical observation. Have fun rationalizing that one away to preserve your worldview!
I’m no socialist, but I’m still mad, because I bought my shares around ten years ago too but Steve wasn’t nice enough to backdate mine so my cost basis is $13.32.
I almost bought at $7 (split-adjusted) 10 years ago – the first of four $AAPL opportunities I passed up (can you say “loser”?)
But it wouldn’t have been 59,000, more like 150.
Lay off Al, FFS! He has to pay for the fuel for his G-V somehow!
No matter how much money Al Gore has stuffed in his pockets, he will never be able to buy his way out that douche bag in which he always finds himself.
I want to buy at this price too
So, when fat Al bought 59,000 shares of AAPL at $7.475 each with his dirty oil money, do you think that pushed the share holders stock down a little? How about when he sells the shares he had already so he wouldn’t be over weighted in AAPL stock? They need to get that dead weight off the board. About 65 percent of the people surveyed a week or two back wanted him gone.
That number sounds extremely suspect. I have a feeling the ‘survey’ was on some rather fringe site, rather then some relevant group, such as among the share holders (or board members). Wouldn’t be surprise the number refers to MDN’s polls, which are by self-selected, as in most online polls, and as such almost ALWAYS represent vocal minority, rather than silent majority.
Looking from an objective point of view, I can’t but agree with the article. Gore was extremely valuable, and continues to be, with his deep Washington links.
Apple has been very well known for their extremely low profile on the K Street. American lawmakers (Senators and Congressmen) tend to have deep resentment for companies that don’t properly contribute into their election funds. If one takes a moment to think about it, in all these years that Apple has been a powerful player in the tech industry, as well as American (and world) economy in general, it is simply amazing that the Washington establishment hasn’t been severely punitive against Apple for their ultra-cheap attitude towards the federal elected officials. The only reason why Apple has been largely spared from major federal anti-trust, anti-competitive or anti-something-else investigations (or even law suits) is because Al Gore’s presence on the board and his work in the hallways of the Capitol Hill on behalf of Apple. He has definitely earned his right to purchase shares at $8 each.
Let us not forget; Apple did NOT pay him any money; they just allowed him to BUY shares from them. All Apple did was TAKE his money, and in exchange, gave him some shares. In the ocean of outstanding shares on the public market (900 million), the 60,000 shares that Al Gore was allowed to buy will dilute absolutely nothing. What Al Gore is to do with these share is to be seen; he may sell them at current price ($500 or so), or wait until they go up.
Al Gore “invents” a new business based on the FEAR OF GLOBAL WARMING, invests in businesses that profits from GLOBAL WARMING. Utterly disgusting. Know the truth of global warming.
Stop being such a baby. You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it first.. Al’s not disgusting, he’s brilliant. Anyone with half a brain knows that Al doesn’t believe in Manbearpig. But he had peddled this thing all the way to the bank.
He’s an American hero!
“Al’s not disgusting, he’s brilliant.”
“Brilliant” for carbon trading profits (global warming) in the millions.
“Brilliant” for making millions on TV network sale.
“Brilliant” for Apple share purchase at a privileged price.
Al, now that you are SUPER RICH and a high-profile member of “you did not build that” big business community — we need your tax increase dollars A.S.A.P. to save the U.S. economy!
Reichwingers think up plenty of their own FEARS:
minorities
not having a hundred round magazine
gays being happy
taxes
helping others
commies
pinkos
socialists
marxists
islam
video games
curse words in music
Come to think of it, most of you rabid reich-wingers are scared of your own shadows. No wonder you send poor kids to fight your wars while hide in france and canada and go awol from the national guard.
They all do including Cook and his boys according to this report http://beta.fool.com/equitybull/2013/01/17/do-apple-executives-have-skin-game/21754/?source=eogyholnk0000001. Nothing illegal, but it begs the question why the dumping if they have such strong belief and faith in Apple future? It makes retail investors fell like bag holders.
Wow. Didn’t know this. So, for all the faithful who come and comment in this MDN room, blindly defending everything the once great company is doing and not doing, does this matter to you? If the brass has secured their lives and that of their families for generations to come, what the hell does it matter to any of them that the company is fading and AAPL has tanked? Huh?
I don’t get it. Why would he want to pay $7k a share when it is freely available for $500 a share?
Oh, wait- that’s not a comma, it’s a decimal point! Sheesh! What a bargain!
When the market gets a whiff of the $7.475 AAPL share price all hell will break loose.
/S
Major hypocrite. He talks about global warming and being green, and then has his power sucking 500 room mansion. The fat fuck should just disappear down the rabbit hole already.
He also flies all around the world in the biggest gas hog of a plane and has not one, not two, but three 30 inch monitors on his mac pro in that huge energy wasting mansion. He made his fortune on a world wide scam. Talk about crony capitalism. Where is the occupy group to protest at Al’s mansion?
Many people I know pay to off-set their carbon emissions. This carbon offsetting works; the money collected funds planting trees (that capture carbon dioxide and convert it into carbon and oxigen) and capturing and recycling other ozone-depleting gases (such as Freon). Even if you are skeptical of man-induced climate change, carbon offsetting still works, as it improves the environmental conditions for everyone, including yourself.
It is rather difficult to arrange one’s life in such a way to have zero carbon footprint (unless you live in a hut, it is practically impossible), so there is a practical solution to offset your carbon footprint. Gore apparently pays (from his personal funds) to offset his carbon emissions.
Do you do that?
Do you? I don’t contribute monetarily, but do my fair share by driving an eco car, recycling, and generally not wasting resources as much as possible. I don’t claim to be perfect, but I try to limit my carbon footprint as much as possible. His problem is that even though he might be doing this carbon offsetting, he tries to come across as sincere, big alligator tears and all, but behind the scenes, he is is a flaming hypocrite. So he should just stop trying to push people around on his global warming crap, and disappear down the rabbit hole.
I can totally understand if you dislike Al Gore for various political reasons. As far as his efforts on climate change are concerned, though, he seems to be an important player who is making a difference by raising the awareness. As far as his own doings are concerned, while I can see how some may look at the Gulfstream, his home or his Macs as overtly wasteful (in the context of environment), in his life, he is doing the responsible thing (neutralising the emissions he produces), which is more than what vast majority of critics who call him a hypocrite are actually doing.
Hey Al, because you are super rich as a result of carbon offsets — please pay your FAIR SHARE of higher taxes ASAP.
I’m pretty sure he is paying his “fair share” of “higher taxes”. That “fair share” seems to be fairly low today (thanks to the Bush tax cuts), but I have no doubt you will find great satisfaction in knowing that, as soon as the current administration pushes tax increases for the wealthy through the two houses, Gore’s tax liabilities would go up.
Mind you, Gore is not making money on carbon offsets; he is PAYING out of his pockets from them.
Agree, Predrag.
Tax rates for upper income wage owners vary from administration to administration. “Fairly low” is a relative term and implies political party dogma.
Mind you, my post was “tongue in cheek.” 🙂
Sorry for mis-reading your message, I’m glad you agree.
As for ‘fairly low’, considering that, at one point after second world war, the top tax bracket used to be 90%, and kept going down, and that it is at its lowest point in a very long time (possibly all-time), I don’t think the qualification implies party dogma by any political side.
““Gore didn’t just make the guy who boosted the share price a hundred-fold comfortable. He handled tricky assignments like investigating the backdating of executive options, so Jobs could concentrate on iThings,” Greenwald writes.”…
‘handled… investigating…’ More like the smarmy douche used his years of political expertise to hide, lie and obfuscate matters. Didn’t Steve still have to answer to some of those backdatings?
Al Gore, the Mitt Romney of the Left… Without the Class!
Let’s just hope he uses the funds to retire….
Why do you conservatives hate success so much?
They only hate it when it isn’t one of their own and it was earned fairly.
They see others success as a hindrance to their own. Despite their preaching otherwise, they secretly realize that resources are finite and they do not want to give up ANY for ANYONE except themselves.
Because they didn’t pay their fair share, hello?
How un-Liberal of him. Rich guy like him taking every advantage he can, tax and stock. No surprise. Liberals, esp. rich ones go by the motto: Do as I say not as I do.
Yeah, because liberals aren’t capitalists too. It must be true because Rush and the Rush wannabes all said so. All liberals hate capitalism.
The conservative narragive that liberals are anti-business socialists is just as big a lie as every other narrative they put forward. Steve was a liberal toi, guys.
God knows no Republican would have jumped at the chance to do this. And if they did I am sure they would have just given the proceeds to a charity.
Doesn’t this make him richer than Mitt Romney?
He was already smarter.
“And if you’re mad instead, you must be a socialist.”
Wow! Talk about zinging the “capitalism fixes all problems” right-wingers! Mr. Gore has demonstrated that living well is indeed the best revenge.
What is the tax treatment in regards to this kind of deal?
Being Liberal, America, High Speed Trains, Al Gore, NHS, full English, Apple, and German engineering, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Brian Cox, Carl Sagan, Dyson engineering, baby back ribs, Romola Garai, and Irina Shayk I love them all. Hates right wing science hating T-baggers.
Let’s get this out in the open, yet again:
It doesn’t matter which party you cheer for. BOTH have been bought by the Corporate Oligarchy. If you want sanity back in government, overthrow the Corporate Oligarchy, their lobbying, their money manipulation, their ‘personhood’. They’ve wrecked the USA and we’re living in the resulting fracked-up era. They are, let’s get it right, the ENEMIES of actual-factual capitalism. They are more rightfully labeled as:
PARASITES
I think this calls for another revolution by We The People as well as the proliferation of viable third parties in politics.
I’m not a socialist, I just hate Al Gore,and that white, pasty, fat slob may be a brilliant business man, but I hope he ends up in Dante’s 9th level of hell.
No wonder the world went into financial
crisis if this is a true sampling of how Americans think. First off, Obamas main problem is the colour of his skin cuz a good part of the country apparently forgets what recent government had a surplus or not and cannot equate if a country has extra it can pay down debt but also what side won the civil war. If Obama were white, there would not be as big of an issue. I cannot fathom the day a woman makes it into the presidency not to mention one from an ethnic minority. Anyways, what does this stuff haveta do with Macs or Apple(?)
“… I don’t think the qualification implies party dogma by any political side.”
Yes indeed, the qualification speaks for itself. Guess I’m just weary of hearing about the rich and taxes.