Beautiful Morning

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Carl Icahn

Carl Celian Icahn (born February 16, 1936) is an American billionaire financier, corporate raider, and private equity investor. His net worth is US$14 billion as of 2008, making him the 46th richest man in the world.

He grew up in NYC's Queens and studied philosophy at Princeton. Then went to Wall Street with $4,000 in poker winnings.

He gained reputation for buying into troubled companies, forcing management to improve, restructure, and buy back stock. Once considered the world's most dangerous shareholder activist, he is now having trouble effecting vast management changes.

Icahn made an attempted run as a major shareholder of Time Warner owning about 3.3% of the company valued at billions of dollars. He has been actively attempting to influence the direction of Time Warner, often in conflict with its former Chief Executive, Richard Parsons. Although Time Warner recently sold 5% of its AOL division, Icahn has been pressing for additional action to increase shareholder value.

On February 7, 2006, a group led by Icahn and Lazard Frères CEO Bruce Wasserstein unveiled a 343-page proposal calling for the breakup of Time Warner into four companies and stock buybacks totaling approximately $20 billion.

On February 17, 2006, the Icahn-led group agreed with Time Warner to not contest the re-election of TW's slate of board members at the 2006 shareholders meeting. In exchange for the Icahn group's cooperation, Time Warner will buy back up $20 billion of stock, nominate more independent members to the board of directors, cut $1 billion of costs by 2007, and continue discussions with the Icahn group over their proposal, particularly on the future of Time Warner Cable.

Recently, Icahn was shown to be interested in the takeover of Yahoo! and the ousting of Jerry Yang from his current position as CEO to allow Microsoft to purchase the web company.

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A Lesson to Ferrari Driver

Warren Buffett Quotes

In my adult business life I have never had to make a choice of trading between professional and personal. I tap-dance to work, and when I get there it’s tremendous fun.

I have simple pleasures. I play bridge online for 12 hours a week. Bill and I play, he’s “chalengr” and I’m “tbone”.

I just naturally want to do things that make sense. In my personal life too, I don’t care what other rich people are doing. I don’t want a 405 foot boat just because someone else has a 400 foot boat.

I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.

The best way to own common stocks is through an index fund.

I was lucky to have the right heroes. Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be. The qualities of the one you admire are the traits that you, with a little practice, can make your own, and that, if practiced, will become habit-forming.

If you’re doing something you love, you’re more likely to put your all into it, and that generally equates to making money.

A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.

Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.

I always knew I was going to be rich. I don’t think I ever doubted it for a minute.

I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.

It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.

Let blockheads read what blockheads wrote.

Of the billionaires I have known, money just brings out the basic traits in them. If they were jerks before they had money, they are simply jerks with a billion dollars.

Risk is a part of God’s game, alike for men and nations.

Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.

Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.

The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective.

There seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.

Price is what you pay, value is what you get.

We enjoy the process far more than the proceeds.

Why not invest your assets in the companies you really like? As Mae West said, “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful”.

You do things when the opportunities come along. I’ve had periods in my life when I’ve had a bundle of ideas come along, and I’ve had long dry spells. If I get an idea next week, I’ll do something. If not, I won’t do a damn thing.

Forest? Reflection? Imagination?

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