How Shaquille O'Neal turned startup into $1,000,000,000 company after refusing to pay $80,000 for security

How Shaquille O'Neal turned startup into $1,000,000,000 company after refusing to pay $80,000 for security Shaquille O'Neal is known...

How Shaquille O'Neal turned startup into $1,000,000,000 company after refusing to pay $80,000 for security

Shaquille O'Neal is known for his star quality on the basketball court, but he's pretty good at business too
Callum Jones

I think we're all aware Shaquille O'Neal was pretty good on the basketball court during his heyday, but did you know he's not bad at this business thing either?

The sporting legend, better known as Shaq, won an impressive four NBA championships during his career.

The 52-year-old claimed the ultimate prize three times between 2001 and 2003 with Los Angeles Lakers, while his Miami Heat team came out victorious in 2006.

Away from the court, Shaq has kept busy with other things, including a multi-million-dollar investment that came as a complete surprise.


The fact it came about over a security issue makes the tale even more unbelievable, but how exactly did the former basketball pro do it?
Shaquille O'Neal has proven he's a good investor. (Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Making all the money he made back in the day, Shaq had three homes in Atlanta.

And because he was a big name in American sport, Shaq decided some security for his luxurious houses would be required.

For one of them, he was quoted $80,000 - something the basketball player refused to pay for.

Of course, Shaq is and was even back then a very rich man, but despite his millions, he knew the price was a little steep.

Looking for a solution to his security worries, Shaq headed to Best Buy and found a Ring camera.

I mean, we've all heard of them now, with many households having them equipped.

Back then however, Shaq decided to take a plunge on the security kit without the exposure it has nowadays.

"The crazy thing about it is I hooked it up myself," Shaq said during an interview with Earn Your Leisure.

Shaq fell in love with the product, to the point where he made an offer to buy into the company in 2015.
Shaquille O'Neal has made a fortune. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

After tracking down company boss Jamie Siminoff at the consumer electronic show, Shaq pitched his vision.

"I said, ‘Hey, my name is Shaquille O'Neal. I want to invest in your company, and you're going to pay me to do commercials, and then whatever happens happens," Shaq recalled in the podcast.

Shaq struck a deal with the CEO just a few weeks later, investing a whopping $1 million into Ring for a stake.

Ring went from strength to strength after Shaq invested heavily in the company.

Richard Branson invested $28 million in the company in 2015 before being bought by Jeff Bezos a few years later at an eye-watering price of $1 billion.

You can bet Shaq is glad he didn't shell out $80,000 for security now.Featured Image Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images / Brett Hemmings/Getty Images for TLA

Topics: Basketball, Business, Technology

Man with bladder ailment sues company for $1.5M after being fired for peeing in Times Square hotel lobby



Man with bladder ailment sues company for $1.5M after being fired for peeing in Times Square hotel lobby
Richard Becker claims that the company knew all about his health condition
A former computer salesman is suing his old company after his bladder issues got him fired.

It’s not every day you hear that someone’s need to pee is the cause of their dismissal, but that’s exactly what happened in this instance.

Richard Becker was a former computer executive at a top-notch tech company who had been working there since 2022.

The 66-year-old suffered from a debilitating disability, which meant that he was incontinent and needed to use the restroom several times within a short period of time.

But it wasn’t his frequency which got him the boot - it was where he chose to go.

During a work meeting at a Times Square hotel, Becker explained in the court filing that he had to use the bathroom many times, but when it ended, he became ‘overwhelmed’ by his bladder needs and had no choice but to urinate in the lobby.
The Lenovo employee was sacked for peeing. (Lenovo)

According to the lawsuit, which is asking for $1.5 million from Lenovo, he physically couldn’t hold it in for the 12 blocks it would have taken to get back to his room at the Westin New York.

So, he had to ‘discreetly urinate on the ground’ in the hotel’s ‘vestibule’ area where a higher-up saw and promptly told human resources.

Becker claims that the person tattled on him ‘out of spite and malice’, despite the company knowing that he had been suffering from the chronic medical condition since 2016 and was even seeing a urologist about it.

It was only four days later that Becker was booted without notice or severance pay, leading him to sue Lenovo for discriminating against him because of his disability.

According to court documents filed Friday August 23 in Manhattan Supreme Court: “With knowledge of Becker’s bladder condition (a disability under the law).

“Lenovo summarily terminated Becker because he suffers from that condition, following an incident that had no impact on Becker’s job performance or Lenovo’s business.”
Becker couldn't hold it in. (AndreyPopov/Getty stock photo)

In court documents, Becker claimed to have helped the company increase its business growth by 200 percent and was an award-winning Lenovo Global Account Sales Executive.

Becker said his company and co-workers were aware of the issue, and even went as far as to poke ‘fun at him for how frequently he needed to use the bathroom.’

At the hotel, Becker explained that he only made it ‘as far as the hotel vestibule’ which is ‘a deserted area located on a different floor from the lobby.’

It read: “At that point, embarrassed, panicked, and faced with an emergency, Becker had no choice but to discreetly urinate on the ground behind a column in the vestibule.”

However, an employee at the Westin told The Post that there isn’t an area known as ‘the vestibule’ and his only option of space with columns would be the first-floor entrance or the concierge desk on the second floor.

The worker also stated that there were lobby toilets available to use.

Becker’s final blow to the company was that he had seen ‘far worse conduct’, recalling a time employees who were drunk stuffed someone inside of a ‘toy vending machine’ in 2021.

UNILAD reached out to Lenovo for comment.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image/guestreservations

Topics: Business, Health, Technology, US News, Weird, Money, New York

Man creates his own working bionic hand after medical insurance company refused to pay for one

Ian Davis put the skills he learnt in the day job to the test with the creation of his bionic hand
Callum Jones

While prosthetics are certainly a lot more common than they were 20 years ago, they are still pretty expensive.

And the harsh reality is that the vast majority of people do not have access nor can afford them.

And in some countries, such as the US, health insurance often doesn't cover the cost of a basis prosthetic.

Ian Davis found himself in that situation after four of his five fingers were amputated in 2018.

Davis is a mechanical engineer so, incredibly, was able to create his own prosthetic hand that looks like something straight out of The Terminator.
Ian Davis created his own bionic hand. (YouTube/Ian Davis)

So how did Davis get into such a situation?

Well, he was suffering from a form of cancer called Multiple Myeloma, which can cause the bones to become thinner and weaken.

And after he broke bones in his hand as a result of a shopping accident, doctors were forced to amputate the four fingers of his left hand.

Davis was under the impression his insurance company would pay out for any prosthetic, but sadly that was not the case.

The insurance company cited that because his palm was still functional, it didn’t think his fingers were 'medically necessary'.
The bionic hand is seriously impressive. (YouTube/Ian Davis)

So, Davis decided to sketch up some designs for the bionic hand while still in his hospital bed.

And over the past six years, his bionic hand has gone through many iterations - something Davis has documented on his YouTube channel.

These days, he is able to fully use his bionic hand after he impressively machined it from aluminium.

When Davis moves his hands or wrist, a series of linkages transmits that movement to the fingers.

Chains on the fingers cause them to curl closed, and they spring back open when tension is released.

Play

Just a couple of months ago, we heard of the man whose hand was crushed by meat grinder became the first person to get 3D-printed bionic fingers.

Mo Ali had to have four of his fingers amputated after a terrible accident in his kitchen as a child.

And earlier this year Mo became the recipient of a high-tech prosthetic hand which has seen him regain huge amounts of dexterity.

The robotic hand, dubbed as 'Hero Gauntlet', was designed as a prosthesis specifically for people who have had part of their hand amputated.

It was developed by UK company Open Bionics, and allows Mo to regain a lot of the dexterity he lost in the accident.Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Ian Davis

Topics: Technology, Health, Science


Hilarious video shows how company behind GTA series used to make fight scenes
The creators of the Grand Theft Auto series have come a long way
Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest gaming series in the world, with cutting edge graphics and engaging, if brutal, storylines.

But it took a long time to get to this point, with designers having to make a bit of a fool of themselves along the way. Like this:


The first game in the series was created by DMA Design Ltd, a Scottish company that had huge success back in the day with Lemming.

Resurfaced footage from a report on the gaming studio shows a reporter interviewing some of the employees ahead of the release of the first GTA game in 1997.

In the segment, he speaks to one member of the team about the hotly-anticipated release and what it's all about.

Getting straight to the point, he tells the journalist: "Well, it's a mission-based driving game, where basically you're driving around the city, stealing cars, running over pedestrians... "

I mean, that's still pretty much it, to be fair.

The report then cuts to another part of the studio, where they're working on graphics for another game in their catalogue.

And it provides a good insight to how they eventually evolved the GTA series and its fight sequences.

In the background of the office, a young guy, called Darren, is seen wearing a black skullcap and kneepads, with white dots all over him as he grapples with thin air, throwing punches at nothing.

Poor Darren.

"You might think Darren here's gone completely mad but what he's actually doing is executing punches in the motion capture department," the journo explains.

"Those punches that he's doing, they're actually being picked up on a computer here [and] will be used to animate models in another game."
BBC

It's safe to say they've come a long way since those early days.

Now into its sixth game in the franchise, fans are waiting patiently for its release.

However, just as the quality of the graphics and gameplay have increased, so has the price.

According to the latest rumors, GTA 6 could set people back $150, and fans are not happy about it.

Sharing a GIF of a stressed-looking Cillian Murphy, one disgruntled X user wrote: "Me trying to comprehend why a f**king video game would cost 150 bucks."

"$150?????? you might as well sub to my 0F at that point," said another, as a third commented: "Yeah well rumor it to cost $70 or we ain’t buying."

"Whoa thats really expensive for a game," suggested someone else.

Others, however, didn't flinch at the price, admitting their love for the series means they'll pay anything.Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: Gaming, Grand Theft Auto, Technology, BBC

Dominic Smithers







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Published 11:30 22 Mar 2024 GMT
Builders destroy driveway after homeowner refused to pay full amount for their work
The tradesmen were not happy after not receiving their full payment


Emma Rosemurgey



A couple of Aussie tradesmen were caught ripping up a driveway they had installed, claiming they never received their full payment.

Damian Hallett and his business partner, Jamie Sommerville, from Clare in South Australia, used a bulldozer and power tools to destroy their own work over an alleged unpaid bill.

The pair, who operate under the business Clare Concreting, say they 'don't condone' their behaviour, but believe it was necessary after the homeowner only paid $10,000 of their $13,500 bill, and refused to pay the rest.


In videos shared to Instagram, police can be seen arriving at the scene and pleading with the men to be 'reasonable' and talk to the homeowner, who begged them to stop bulldozing.

In the clip, the homeowner can be seen approaching the men, as Hallet tells him: "I'm ripping the whole f***ing lot out."

When the homeowner tells him: "It's not going to help anybody," the tradie responds: "It's not going to help me by leaving it here. I don’t care, I’m pulling this out. At the end of the day you owe me $3500. I’m pulling this out, you’ve had your chances.

"You said you’re not going to pay me the money. If you’re going to pay me the money I’ll stop, if not I’m going to bulldoze now.

"I’ve tried to bargain with you. If you’re going to pay the money talk to me, if not f*** off. I don’t care. I’ve never done this before in my life."

After much back and forth between the homeowner and the tradesmen, the policeman intervened and asked the homeowner how much money he owes for the work that was done to his driveway.

"Hang on, how much do you owe him?" the officer asked, to which Hallet replied: "$3,500."

"Well then, you need to pay him $3,500," the cop continued.

Taking to Instagram later that day, Hallet confirmed the homeowner had paid the remainder of the bill in full and thanked the police for their help.

"In relation to this, we have been paid in full on the day. Thanks to South Australian police involvement," he wrote. However, the homeowner has since disputed the chain of events that led to the bulldozing.

The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, say he was at home with his daughters, aged nine and four, when he heard the digging taking place outside.

He told News AU: "I went outside and saw he’s digging my driveway. I went inside because my kids are crying, grabbed my phone and called the cops. He wouldn’t stop. The cops said, ‘It’s a civil matter, we can’t do anything.’"

After being told the police were only present to ensure things didn't 'get physical', the man decided he needed to pay the money to prevent the men from damaging the retaining wall to his home.

7News

He claims, however, that he had already paid $30,000 for the work and was planning to pay the rest, but that the men had not finished all the agreed work, including levelling the ground, constructing a retaining wall and plumbing work.

The homeowner even shared text messages where he had disputed the amount owed and questioned them over alleged unfinished work.

Since the story went viral, the man has also faced a barrage of racist abuse from people online and has even had people driving up to his home just to look at the damage.

He said: "I’m scared now, you never know who’s in the car. My kids are upset, ‘Why are people looking at our house?’"

Clare Concreting have since offered to come back and repair the driveaway, as well as completing the outstanding jobs, however, the homeowner has declined and is now seeking legal advice.