Richard Branson - about Roman Abramovich expenses: "What a waste of money..."

How differently wealthy people treat their financial capabilities can be judged by the statement of the British billionaire, founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, who, as CNBC.com wrote in 2016, staged a "war of words" against Roman Abramovich.

In an interview with Collective Hub magazine, Branson then expressed regret at the way Roman Abramovich was spending his fortune.

“He has six yachts (now, according to information from open sources, Abramovich has two of them: the 162.5-meter Eclipse and the 145-meter Solaris - editor's note), they aorre just gigantic. Looking at each of them, you think: what a waste of money! He could change the lives of so many people if he could find a better use for money, ”Branson said at the time.

“I think it’s sad when people who make a lot of money dream of the biggest yacht, the biggest car, or the biggest airplane...”, - said Richard Branson.

According to CNBC, through his spokesman, Roman Abramovich conveyed his refusal to comment on Richard Branson's statements. Indeed, what could be said in response?

Of course, Branson himself is not some cheapskate, CNBC noted. He owns a private island, a submarine and a sailing yacht. But he also spends billions fighting global warming, poverty in Africa and fighting corruption around the world. However, Abramovich is also a philanthropist, Abramovich is also a philanthropist, the publication reports that he is the largest sponsor, in particular, of the "Fulfilling Dreams" charity.

By the way, the owner of Millhouse Capital and London football club Chelsea Roman Abramovich has been repeatedly recognized as the most generous Russian businessman, leading world media outlets, including Bloomberg, wrote about this.

So, on the Internet, you can find a publication dedicated to a detailed breakdown of what specific charitable purposes, only from 2009 to 2013, Abramovich allocated about $ 310 million from his fortune of $ 12.8 billion.

This includes building schools, hospitals and infrastructure in Chukotka, a region in the country's Far East where Abramovich was once governor, and supporting Israel to fight anti-Semitism around the world, and much more .

In general, it is not entirely clear why such attacks on Abramovich sounded on the part of Branson. Probably, the speech is about that it would be nice, as in the famous film "Courier" by Karen Shakhnazarov, also for the billionaires "to dream great"?

For example, the BBC, the rocket company Virgin Orbit, owned by space tourism dreaming Branson, has put ten satellites into low Earth orbit for the first time this year. The loaded rocket was launched from under the wing of a Boeing 747.

“First of all, I want to create something that you will be proud of. This has always been my business philosophy. I can honestly say that I have never been in business to make money. If that's the only motive, then it's best not to do anything, ”Branson wrote in his book“ To hell with it! Take it and do it. "