Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
How Chuck Feeney made his fortune and then secretly gave it all away. Try brilliant.org/Newsthink for FREE for 30 days, and get 20% off your annual premium subscription.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:24 Humble Beginnings
0:42 Military Service and Education
1:23 Birth of a Business Idea
1:52 Building the Duty-Free Empire
2:53 Overcoming Financial Struggles
3:44 Explosive Growth of Duty Free Shoppers
5:06 The Wealth He Didn’t Want
6:52 A Life-Changing Realization
7:40 Founding The Atlantic Philanthropies
9:52 The End of Anonymity
11:16 Today’s Sponsor: Brilliant
I highly recommend the book The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Conor O'Clery: https://a.co/d/et4NYJL
Newsthink is produced and presented by Cindy Pom
twitter.com/cindypom
Grab your Newsthink merch here: newsthink.creator-spring.com
Thank you to our Patrons!
Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/Newsthink
Sources:
Forbes Magazine building: NYU FC 2 (Wikis Take Manhattan 2009 participant), CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Austin Healey car: By Br51zey - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32576746
Sunbeam Tiger car: By Steve Brown from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA -1965 Sunbeam Tiger, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=496361991960
Volkswagen: Theresia Freistetter, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsHonolulu Airport welcome sign: hellochris, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kai Tak Airport: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsKai Tak Airport landing view: By Thudfinger - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126416830
Ballatine’s scotch whisky image: Pernod Ricard, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsDodge Matador: By FaceMePLS - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109083891964 Chrysler Windsor: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsStage Deli in NYC: By star5112 - Stage Deli, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22938428
Japan Airlines plane landing at Honolulu International Airport: Jon Proctor (GFDL 1.2 gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.htmlor GFDL 1.2 gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html), via Wikimedia Commons
Air Hong Kong at Kai Tak Airport: Kambui, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsCasio F-91W watch: By Ashley Pomeroy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29685881
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport building: Sunnya343, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAlaska Airlines: By Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA - Alaska Airlines 737, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11549928
Alaska Airlines in winter: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Statler Hotel at Cornell University: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Clean water (East Meets West Foundation): By Twodoor82 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18500312
LVMH homepage: Jernej Furman from Slovenia, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cornell Tech buildings at Cornell University: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsTang Welcome Center at Cornell University images: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
How Chuck Feeney made his fortune and then secretly gave it all away. Try brilliant.org/Newsthink for FREE for 30 days, and get 20% off your annual premium subscription.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:24 Humble Beginnings
0:42 Military Service and Education
1:23 Birth of a Business Idea
1:52 Building the Duty-Free Empire
2:53 Overcoming Financial Struggles
3:44 Explosive Growth of Duty Free Shoppers
5:06 The Wealth He Didn’t Want
6:52 A Life-Changing Realization
7:40 Founding The Atlantic Philanthropies
9:52 The End of Anonymity
11:16 Today’s Sponsor: Brilliant
I highly recommend the book The Billionaire Who Wasn't by Conor O'Clery: https://a.co/d/et4NYJL
Newsthink is produced and presented by Cindy Pom
twitter.com/cindypom
Grab your Newsthink merch here: newsthink.creator-spring.com
Thank you to our Patrons!
Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/Newsthink
Sources:
Forbes Magazine building: NYU FC 2 (Wikis Take Manhattan 2009 participant), CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Austin Healey car: By Br51zey - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32576746
Sunbeam Tiger car: By Steve Brown from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA -1965 Sunbeam Tiger, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=496361991960
Volkswagen: Theresia Freistetter, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsHonolulu Airport welcome sign: hellochris, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kai Tak Airport: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsKai Tak Airport landing view: By Thudfinger - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126416830
Ballatine’s scotch whisky image: Pernod Ricard, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsDodge Matador: By FaceMePLS - Flickr, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109083891964 Chrysler Windsor: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsStage Deli in NYC: By star5112 - Stage Deli, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22938428
Japan Airlines plane landing at Honolulu International Airport: Jon Proctor (GFDL 1.2 gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.htmlor GFDL 1.2 gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/fdl-1.2.html), via Wikimedia Commons
Air Hong Kong at Kai Tak Airport: Kambui, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsCasio F-91W watch: By Ashley Pomeroy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29685881
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport building: Sunnya343, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAlaska Airlines: By Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA - Alaska Airlines 737, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11549928
Alaska Airlines in winter: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Statler Hotel at Cornell University: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Clean water (East Meets West Foundation): By Twodoor82 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18500312
LVMH homepage: Jernej Furman from Slovenia, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cornell Tech buildings at Cornell University: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsTang Welcome Center at Cornell University images: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
