Bono insists that media reports suggesting he overtook Paul McCartney as the world richest rock star Friday because of the number of Facebook shares he owns are just not true.
Speaking with NBC's Andrea Mitchell at the Global Food Summit in Washington, D.C., the U2 frontman declared, "Contrary to reports…this boy is not a billionaire. And -- or going to be richer than any Beatle. And not just in the sense of money, by the way. The Beatles are untouchable -- that's just a joke."
Regardless of how wealthy Facebook may be making him, Bono had high praise for the social-networking pioneers.
"They're a brilliant team," he told Mitchell. "And they really care about this stuff. And…it's a technology that brings people together, people who are traveling a lot, to keep in touch with their families, with their friends."
An NME.com article published Thursday claimed that because Bono owns a 2.3 percent stake the social-networking company, his shares would be valued at more .5 billion after Facebook went public on Friday. In comparison, McCartney's fortune reportedly is worth a little over billion.
