Rausing dynasty

"For an outsider, it must seem unlikely that a small tetrahedron of paper could form the basis for such an enormous fortune. It is unlikely, but it has still happened. When repeatedly asked about the size of the Rausing dynasty’s fortune, Gad Rausing said a few years before he passed away: “I have also asked myself that many times. When one talks about money, it is not pennies and cents that are discussed but rather what opportunities for operation that, for example, Tetra Pak has provided.” When Hans Rausing was asked the same question, he answered that he knew exactly to the last penny how large the fortune was and that it was a significant amount, but he saw no reason to disclose it."

"The reason Hans wanted to sell simply came from a harsh assessment that the best thing for the future of the Tetra Group was for someone other than the Rausing dynasty to take over the ownership role. At the same time, he considered his age and had long been worried about his health. Both Hans and Gad had a trait – inherited from Ruben – to exaggerate the risks of disease. Even mundane illnesses became for them a reminder of death, which meant that diseases could not be discussed in their presence at all. Employees within Tetra Pak who fell sick and stayed home might very well find themselves reassigned to less important positions when they returned. This was because Gad and Hans considered them too frail to hold important positions. The risk was that they could die. The same applied to themselves; when either of them fell ill, he would hand over important powers, so that everything would be secured if he died. But as soon as it turned out that the illness was not serious, they immediately took back their position."