He started with $1000 and grew to $912 Million over 43 years. That's compounding annually at 38% percent. I was surprised that after 43 years it is still under a billion. Just goes to show how big a billion dollars is :-).
He must also really really love his space and company, nowadays when companies are flipped in 43 weeks, he is going on for 43 years. Wow, that's some dedication and calls for a very difficult temperament and set of skills.
> Just goes to show how big a billion dollars is...
As a boy, my grandfather once wanted to impress upon me the astronomical nature (or so it seemed at such a young age) of large numbers (especially in reference to government budgets).
At first, I couldn't believe it when he told me that if I spent $1/second, I'd blow through $1M in just under 12 days (11.5 to be more precise, with rounding).
But it was when he told me that spending through $1B at the same rate would take me nearly 32 years that I realized that was a ridiculously large sum of money.
I've never forgotten that lesson. I also walked away deviously thinking the best goal I could shoot for in life was to figure out how to earn $1/second.
In my opinion, this is Apples to Oranges. Capital and Revenue are not the same thing. Also, you should take into account his knowledge, experience, and partner help.
I remember Riverside (pretty close to Redlands) in the 1990s and it was dirt cheap, even during the era of the $1 gallon of gasoline. $100k in pay + benefits stretches far there, especially once you factor in the higher revenue per employee in other nations (43 years + 350k orgs using their software sounds like a multinational).
He must also really really love his space and company, nowadays when companies are flipped in 43 weeks, he is going on for 43 years. Wow, that's some dedication and calls for a very difficult temperament and set of skills.