I did go bankrupt because everybody copied me - every single industry. But genuinely, it doesn't matter. I swear I don't care.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The computer industry is creatively bankrupt.
I made my money turning around distressed or bankrupt companies. I did 50-some of them in my career... I started on a shoestring and eventually built up quite a fortune.
When a company goes bankrupt, you as a company have absolutely no say whatsoever as to what happens.
You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling.
In the business world, we can point to instances when a lack of integrity has bankrupted entire companies - in sectors as different as finance, telecommunications, manufacturing, and energy.
You should learn from your competitor, but never copy. Copy and you die.
I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning, so I was forced to be like a businessman because when I was trying to get a record deal, it was so hard to get a record deal on my own that it was either give up or create my own company.
I have been so copied by those people who have made fortunes that people assume I am that rich. But I did things for the excitement, the dare, the fact that it was new, not for the money. And too many times I was the first, not the beneficiary.
I feel very, very proud that so many people have copied me.
I didn't end up going bankrupt... I made some great investments and I held on to my money, which also enables me to have the freedom to do what I want now. But it's not about finances. No matter what, it's about keeping it real.