The Facebook IPO appears to have made Bono the richest musician in the world. When a Washington Times reporter on Friday asked Bono what it was like to be one of the wealthiest entertainers on the planet, the U2 frontman shrugged, "I don't think it's true," and kept walking.
Similarly, in an interview with MSNBC, he played down his personal gain;
"Contrary to reports, I'm not a billionaire or going to be richer than any Beatle,"
Elevation Partners, the venture capital firm where Bono is a partner, bought roughly a 2.3 percent stake in Facebook for about $90 million three years ago, and the company's public offering - the stock began trading Friday - yielded some $1.4 billion in profit for Elevation. Determining Bono's wealth, though, is no easy task, in part because it's unclear how much of the Facebook money he'll pocket personally, since it's unknown how many partners he'll split it with. There's also no clear indication of what Bono was worth prior to the Facebook IPO, as published estimates range from $300 million-$900 million.
The wealth of Sir Paul McCartney, who was presumed the richest musician prior to Bono's Facebook windfall, is also subject to interpretation, though the range of $750 million-$1.05 billion is a more manageable estimate than is Bono's.