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See what remarkable builders and entrepreneurs achieved at age 49
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Notable Achievements at Age 49
Phil Hartman murdered by his wife; wife later killed herself
In the early hours of May 28, 1998, Brynn fatally shot Phil while he slept; she later shot herself; both were found dead that morning.
Michelle McNamara died
Wife Michelle McNamara died in her sleep; death attributed to undiagnosed heart condition and medication complications.
Fired as U.S. Attorney by President Trump
On March 11, 2017, during the Trump administration, Bharara was dismissed after refusing to submit his resignation when asked.
Fatal hit-and-run; arrested for murder
Jan 29, 2015: Knight drove his car into two men in Compton after an alleged dispute on the Straight Outta Compton film set; Terry Carter was killed and Cle Sloan was seriously injured. Knight fled the scene and was arrested.
Announced purchase of The Washington Post ($250M)
Announced acquisition of The Washington Post and affiliated publications for $250 million in cash via Nash Holdings.
Announced death of Osama bin Laden (Operation Neptune Spear)
Announced that U.S. forces conducted an operation in Pakistan resulting in the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (raid occurred May 1–2, 2011).
Elected ACM Fellow
Elected a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery for contributions to AI and information retrieval.
Ranked No. 38 on Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand‑up Comedians
Placed #38 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all time.
Written judgment published (Judge James Mellor)
The court's written judgment (20 May 2024) stated evidence supporting Wright's claim were forgeries and that Wright had lied to the court.
Elected Governor of Pennsylvania (defeated Doug Mastriano)
Won the 2022 gubernatorial election in a landslide, defeating the Trump-endorsed Republican Doug Mastriano by nearly 15 percentage points.
Won Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas
Won the Democratic primary on March 1, 2022 with 91.4% of the vote and 983,182 primary votes.
2021 federal election — re-elected, Liberals remain minority
Called a snap election and led the Liberals to another minority government; Trudeau won Papineau again.
Married Alfred Molina
Lee and Alfred Molina married in August 2021 in a ceremony officiated by mutual friend Jonathan Groff.
FBI unsealed indictment in Wolverine Watchmen kidnapping plot
Federal indictment unsealed charging men associated with Wolverine Watchmen with plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer and overthrow the Michigan government.
Adyen completed IPO (June 2018)
Adyen went public in June 2018. Company valuation reached €13.4 billion (~US$15.8 billion) at IPO.
Founded Cyberstarts (announced $50M fund)
Raanan founded Cyberstarts, an early-stage cybersecurity-focused VC; press reported a new ~$50M fund at launch (Calcalistech, April 2018).
Death of partner Rayya Elias
Rayya Elias died on January 4, 2018; a major personal loss for Gilbert.
Ranked #8 on Forbes' 'World's Most Influential CMOs 2017'
Forbes ranked him eighth among the world's most influential chief marketing officers.
Birth of son William 'Billy' Kimmel
Kimmel and Molly McNearney's son William was born on April 21, 2017 and required emergency open-heart surgery hours after birth.
💡 What this means for you
At age 49, you're at a pivotal point where many successful entrepreneurs made their breakthrough. Whether you're building your first company or scaling an existing one, these examples show what's possible with focus and execution.
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