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The Edge and Bono perform on stage at Glastonbury recently. Yui Mok/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Even Better Than the Real Thing: Bono's Facebook stake now worth nearly $1bn

The rising value of the social network is good news for the rockstar.

U2 FRONTMAN BONO stands to make a sizeable profit if and when his investment firm’s stake in Facebook pays out, it is reported.

With the social networking site now vauled at $65 billion, that values U2′s Elevation Partners’ stake at $975 million (€679m) which is more than four times the $210 million it paid for shares in November 2009, according to Lisa O’Carroll on Guardian.co.uk.

This follows a move by one of the social network’s early investors Interpublic to sell half of its 0.4 per cent share for $133m which allowed investors to estimate the site’s value at $65 billion, up from the previous estimate of $50 billion.

Earlier this year reports said that Bono and U2 guitarist The Edge, who is also a stakeholder in Elevation Partners, stand to make €400 million from a Facebook flotation.

Now the figure appears to be much higher.

It could be a remarkable turnaround in Bono’s  fortunes given that the singer was branded “the worst investor in American” by the influential 24/7 Wall Street last year following a series of questionable investments by Elevation Partners.

These included $480 million being pumped into the smartphone maker Palm just months before Apple’s iPhone was launched.

There’s also the band’s affiliation with the infamous ‘Spiderman: Turn off the Dark’ Broadway musical which has been beset by problems and which U2 are believed to have backed to the rune of $65 million, according to the Irish Independent.

Elevation Partners has also made losses on an investment in publishing company Forbes whose influential business magazine of the same name earlier this year named U2 as one of the world’s highest paid musicians.

The band is reported to have taken $736 million from record sales and concert receipts over the last two years alone – netting them profits of around $195 million (€135m).

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17 Comments
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    Mute Jeff
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    Aug 17th 2011, 8:31 AM

    I guess, he Found What he was Looking For…

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    Mute Stephen Harding
    Favourite Stephen Harding
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    Aug 17th 2011, 8:42 AM

    End world poverty – well his bit of of the world any way!

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    Mute Stephen McLaughlin
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    Aug 17th 2011, 11:57 AM

    Fair Play to them, if there were more people like Bono in the country we’d all be far further ahead :)

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    Mute Gerard Murphy
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    Aug 17th 2011, 12:07 PM

    No actually, if everyone in Ireland acted like Bono and paid their taxes in Holland , there would be no country , simple as!

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    Mute Waffler
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    Aug 17th 2011, 12:46 PM

    tax dodgers like bono are part of the mess we’re in

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Aug 17th 2011, 2:19 PM

    Exactly, Waffler.

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    Mute Vincent Bickerstaffe
    Favourite Vincent Bickerstaffe
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    Aug 17th 2011, 9:06 AM

    legend…. LOL

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Aug 17th 2011, 11:12 AM

    Huh !! Legend, my arse !! He’s an annoying pain in the aras !! Will he give that obscene amount of money to those in need ? Will he ‘eckers like !! Wish he’d go away & stop being so Goddamn irritating. ( BTW, I don’t particularly care for him !! ) -

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    Mute Brian Kelleher
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    Aug 17th 2011, 1:30 PM

    Typical Irish begrudgery… he made that money legitimately, what’s the fucking problem? You’d swear he stole it all off you by your attitude!

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Aug 17th 2011, 2:17 PM

    No, Brian. It is not begrudgery on my behalf. I just can’t tolerate the smug, arrogant, pompous, always in your face twat. I don’t begrudge him his fame, his success, his money, his talent. Fair play to him. I just don’t care for him personally & simple asked will he give any of that money to various good causes. I don’t think he will & I get annoyed & take exception to him prancing all over the place telling us the bleedin’ obvious & he moved his tax issues to Holland ??

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    Mute Ed Appleby
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    Aug 17th 2011, 1:08 PM

    He will of course be donating all this money to Africa, the heads of state of Ethiopia and Sudan are in need of new fleet of Mercedes and then there’s the repairs to their portfolio of palaces not to mention their wives credit card bills for all those shopping sprees in Paris and Geneva. I’m sure Geldof will do the same from his vast media stash! Do as I say, not as I do is a phrase that comes to mind when I think of these two ‘poverty crusaders’ still fair play to him for spotting a good investment, pity he wasn’t running Anglo, AIB or any of the other incompetent banks or come to think of it the Dept. of no finance and massive debt.Wonder what the outcome would have been if Bono & Geldof were in charge instead of dumb and dumber Cowen and Lenihen!

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Aug 17th 2011, 2:21 PM

    “Poverty crusaders”. Well put. It’s easy to be a “socialist” when u are wealthy. A contradiction there. Well – I don’t begudge him his wealth. Just go away & enjoy it & stop rubbing all our noses in it.

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    Mute David Conroy
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    Aug 18th 2011, 12:59 AM

    “Was it a millionaire who said ‘imagine no possessions’? ” – Elvis Costello

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    Mute Bertie SirCastic
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    Aug 17th 2011, 1:55 PM

    Ask me Aras!

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    Mute Ed Appleby
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    Aug 17th 2011, 2:09 PM

    Nightmare scenario, Still, i’m sure there’s plenty of cupboards in the Aras for him to hang out in not to mention a great big park for him to practice his dig-outs! President Ahern, has a real scary ring to it!

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    Mute Bertie SirCastic
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    Aug 17th 2011, 4:30 PM

    He’ll get a kick up the Aras if he even thinks about it!!!

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    Mute Ed Appleby
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    Aug 17th 2011, 6:15 PM

    Well said!

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