
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad has died - severine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-42851668
======
reimertz
I worked at Ikea for some time and it's quite amazing the possibilities you
had as an employee pursuing a career within the company. Rather than them
basing your performance on past studies and grades, you definitely had the
possibility to pursue any role within the company as long as you had the
"right" mentality and really wanted it. Just like any early-stage startup I've
work with.

I was a lazy university student who just saw it as a part-time job though,
just improving my economical situation for a bit but the few ideas I had was
easily escalated and heard.

Kind of miss that place sometimes.

When it comes to Kamprads legacy, I do hope they open a fund with his pile of
cash because for me, his legacy is stained by all the sketchy tax evasion
schemes they've set up.

Rest in peace Ingvar.

~~~
loceng
Do you know of any good books that talk about the culture like this at Ikea?
I'd love to read it.

~~~
reimertz
Great question. I think their own documentation of it is spot on and gives a
honest picture of their core values. You can read it for yourself here:
[http://ikea.in/culture-value](http://ikea.in/culture-value)

I guess it’s worth saying that I don’t work for Ikea anymore so my words are
my own and not affiliated with Ikea in any way.

~~~
loceng
Cool, thanks for the link.

Also, only someone with poor reading comprehension - whether through rushing
or lack of focus - would have thought you still worked for Ikea, I appreciate
you saying it for those people though. :)

------
unicornporn
Ingvar was a fascist sympathizer with corporatist ideas. He stayed true to his
nazi sympathies long after the atrocities of Nazi Germany became known to the
world. He was once a very active member of Svensk Socialistisk Samling[1][3].

As late as 2010 he hailed the Swedish fascist leader Per Engdahl[1][2].

He may have been an excellent business man (and tax evader), but please
remembers these facts too.

[1] [https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/nya-avslojanden-om-
kampra...](https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/nya-avslojanden-om-kamprads-
nazi-forflutna)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Engdahl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_Engdahl)

[3]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Workers%27_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Socialist_Workers%27_Party_\(Sweden\))

~~~
orsenthil
Some context also helps.

``` The tycoon revealed some elements of his past in a book in 1988, admitting
that he was a close friend of the Swedish fascist activist Per Engdahl, and a
member of his New Swedish Movement between 1942 and 1945.

He said that his involvement was youthful "stupidity" and the "greatest
mistake" of his life. ```

~~~
alphonsegaston
The parent already pointed out that in a 2010 interview he expressed his
unchanged admiration for Endghal. And he was also later show to have remained
friends with him well into the 50s, exchanging correspondence and kind
regards, a further misrepresentation of the length and character of their
friendship.

The 1988 “apology” was obviously just PR.

~~~
unicornporn
Correct.

------
slac
Mixed feelings here. Incredible entrepreneur that built an empire on solid
product values. Masterfully executed through laser focus on logistics. Brought
design and furniture to the masses.

Shadowed by his Nazi roots which I never felt he apologized forcefully
enough...

And the fact the incredibly shadowy ikea tax structure makes it hard for
anyone to compete against. Profiles itself as a Swedish company and uses the
country for marketing purposes but has done everything it could to avoid taxes
here.

Also, the mountain of cash hidden in all the Dutch and Luxembourg trust funds
coming from this tax structure is not being used to contribute back to society
in a meaningful way like Gates and Buffett.

~~~
vadimberman
> Also, the mountain of cash hidden in all the Dutch and Luxembourg trust
> funds coming from this tax structure is not being used to contribute back to
> society in a meaningful way like Gates and Buffett.

Not really an excuse, but at least since 1990s, that was very common among the
European rich.

Psychologically, it's easy to justify: the state takes about half of your
hard-earned cash, then passes it on to a bunch of bureaucrats in Brussels who
have not done a damn thing in their lives. On the other hand, before
everything became computerised, stashing the money in Luxembourg was way too
easy.

~~~
abritinthebay
Yes, I’m psychology there’s a term for that: selfish.

Could also go with “social parasite” if we’re going more with political
theory.

------
drawkbox
What a great entrepreneur and product guy.

Kamprad should be very proud of what he built.

Not many business owners today start from the aspect of frugality like he did.
IKEA is a place that targets everyone but is priced at middle class or lower
levels unlike most products today. That goes back to his roots.

 _Mr Kamprad was renowned for his devotion to frugality, reportedly driving an
old Volvo and travelling by economy class._

 _In a 2016 interview with Swedish television channel TV4, Mr Kamprad said
that it was "in the nature of Småland to be thrifty"._

 _" If you look at me now, I don't think I'm wearing anything that wasn't
bought at a flea market," he said._

Far away from Sweden, on a Saturday night me and my wife were in line buying
some sheets at IKEA for beds we just setup from IKEA, and it was bustling with
massive lines. His products have massive reach.

IKEA is quite good at everything they do and are extremely efficient, except
checkout on a Saturday but we grabbed some meatballs while waiting in line.

Fun fact: IKEA stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd which is derived
from founder's initials and hometown. [1]

 _The driving idea behind IKEA was, and is, that anyone should be able to
afford stylish, modernist furniture. Kamprad felt he was not just cutting
costs and making money, but serving the people as well._ [1]

[1] [https://sweden.se/business/ingvar-kamprad-founder-of-
ikea/](https://sweden.se/business/ingvar-kamprad-founder-of-ikea/)

~~~
kalleboo
Some of the "frugality" stuff is just image - he also had a Porsche, lived in
a very nice property in Switzerland for 40 years, and also owned a French
vineyard (although he forced IKEA to sell the wine from the latter so he may
have actually made money off of that one...)

~~~
lallysingh
As far as sports cars go, you can get a reliable Porsche that will last you a
very long time. Not necessarily wasteful if you want good performance out of a
car.

~~~
gxs
Completely off topic, but ehat model/years are you talking about?

I’ve never heard anyone say that about a porsche.

Genuinely curious, not being facetious.

~~~
severine
Not OP, but some info here: [https://jalopnik.com/how-to-own-a-ridiculously-
cheap-and-rel...](https://jalopnik.com/how-to-own-a-ridiculously-cheap-and-
reliable-porsche-91-1668638286)

------
erikrothoff
I read the news in an IKEA sofa wrapped in an IKEA blanket resting my head on
an IKEA cushion watching TV on an IKEA bench. He truly built a startup that
changed the world.

~~~
mherrmann
Same here. Such a shame about his (apparently) dark past.

~~~
osrec
If you're referring to his fascist involvement, he later described it as one
of the biggest mistakes of his life.

~~~
dingaling
Another "mistake" was outsourcing production to East German prisoners during
the 1970 and 80s.

~~~
kalleboo
So he was both a Nazi _and_ a Communist.

~~~
stephenr
If he rises from the dead as a zombie, he'll get the trifecta.

------
toomanybeersies
Moving from a country with no Ikea to a country with Ikea has been a paradigm
shift for me, and I'm not sure it's entirely a good one.

It used to be that if I wanted furniture, I'd go to the second hand store, and
look for some used furniture that fitted my purpose. If I couldn't find
something that worked, then I'd look online, and then failing that, I'd buy it
new.

I found some real gems at the second hand store. A desk I bought is going
strong 5 years later (I gave it to a friend).

Now I don't even bother, I just go straight to Ikea. It's so cheap that
there's no point in looking at second hand.

~~~
methodin
On another take, the amount of IKEA furniture I've assembled over the years
has instilled some basic sense of design and structure which has aided my in
building my own outdoor furniture. IKEA is, effectively, a DIY store and you
aren't limited to the pieces they package together. You can really be creative
with it.

~~~
ptaipale
There are many good examples of DIY approach at the IKEA Hackers blog.

[https://www.ikeahackers.net/](https://www.ikeahackers.net/)

~~~
SOLAR_FIELDS
The Lack specifically is one of the most versatile pieces of furniture in
existence. Dirt cheap, symmetrical, strong load bearing, simple design and
assembly. The classic “Lack Rack” server racks have been posted on here
several times as another example of what you can do with the Lack.

~~~
anon1253
For those curious about Lack server gear
[https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack](https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack)

------
5_minutes
Nice trivia: he actually started with delivering self-made furniture on his
bike in his local town.

~~~
jacquesm
I'll bet that was the highest quality stuff Ikea ever produced. I was in a
store for recycled stuff a week ago or so looking for a typewriter and some
old comic books for my kids and it struck me that none of the furniture they
was made by Ikea. That translates into there being a direct path to the
landfill from Ikea.

~~~
sitkack
Ikea has optimized the price and durability of an item to maximize utility for
both the end user and the corp. People like getting new stuff for cheap and
dont value resale or reuse. Ikea is an excellent machine for turning Borneo
rain forest into landfill at the lowest price.

~~~
dbrgn
Ikea actually plans to become "forest positive":
[https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/ikea-
sustai...](https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/ikea-
sustainability-forest-positive-karelia) The article is from 2012, not sure how
far they progressed (true sustainability is difficult). I doubt they use any
tropical wood though. Most of their wood supplies are already FSC certified.

~~~
matthewmacleod
Also worth pointing out that in the UK, the company now sends nothing to
landfill itself ([http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38636272/ikea-
sustaina...](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38636272/ikea-
sustainability-report-reveals-the-firm-sent-zero-waste-to-landfill-in-2016)).
And in France, they will accept old Ikea furniture and resell it at low cost
([https://www.climatesolutionsplatform.org/solution/giving-
fur...](https://www.climatesolutionsplatform.org/solution/giving-furniture-a-
second-life-with-ikea/))

There are a few things to attack the company on; I’m not sure sustainability
is one of their weak points.

~~~
nicoburns
Arguably they are one of the leading large companies with regard to
sustainability. Most of their wood is fast growing pine, and they switched
their entire lighting range over to LEDs way back in 2011
[http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea/newsitem/IKEA_pulls_the...](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/about_ikea/newsitem/IKEA_pulls_the_plug_on_incandescent_light_bulbs_press_release)

------
WisNorCan
Europe has less of a philanthropic tradition than the United States.

For example, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have both pledged to give away the
vast majority of their fortunes. Jeff Bezos is now making plans for his
philanthropy. This happens in Europe too, but is less common.

I was looking to see if there were any specific plans for Mr. Kamprad’s
wealth, but unfortunately did not see anything.

~~~
coldtea
Europe doesn't believe as much in handouts from the rich, or in depending on
arbitrary goodwill.

We believe more in structuring society, government, welfare, healthcare,
funding, etc, such that they're not needed.

~~~
kzrdude
The sprit of the time in the US seems to be poisoned by the fantasies of get
rich schemes _still_ (including founder dreams of making a company to "get
rich" instead of making a company to make a living).

------
padrian2s
I wonder what's with the id?

ID 498407

[http://newsroom.inter.ikea.com/gallery/image/ingvar-
kamprad/...](http://newsroom.inter.ikea.com/gallery/image/ingvar-
kamprad/a/80af310b-39bc-406c-85b6-9a0eedc9a4a5)

------
chewyland
I've been to 27 IKEAs in 27 different countries and have eaten 27 different
hot dogs. I swear. I have seriously done this....

------
mongol
This news also tops the consumer version of the IKEA swedish subsite. Kamprad
was the most well known entrepneur in Sweden. He projected an image of himself
as an every day man, even somewhat behind ("smådum") which he obviously was
not. He considered the entire supply chain, including buying forests as supply
for wood. With him gone, only future will tell if IKEA will be able to keep up
its success.

------
azureio
The thing I really really like about IKEA is the fact that you could look at
and try out furniture for hours without any staff ever coming over to ask you
if you needed anything.

------
marban
And thanks for the Köttbullar. "It's difficult to do business with someone on
an empty stomach."

~~~
vq
IKEA is actually a köttbullar and lingonsylts (lingonberry jam) distribution
system so that us Smålänningar can get our fix almost anywhere in the world.

~~~
jschwartzi
It's also one of the few places I can get herring too. The Poulsbo stuff that
I like is seasonal so I have to go to Ikea for canned fish in the summer.

That I can buy furniture and kitchen tools is a nice bonus.

~~~
vidarh
And while their selection is limited, it's one of the few places outside the
Nordic countries and the Netherlands where you can reliably get salty licorice
candy.

------
kchoudhu
No one? Ok.

Rest in pieces.

------
darkerside
> Granted, he admits it was the "greatest mistake" of his life

And if he didn't talk about it in that way, we'd probably have forgotten about
it long ago. Ironic.

------
afriend4lyfe
"In the later years of his life, Mr Kamprad had faced questions over his past
links to the Nazis."

It's crazy how he ran Ikea for over 70 years but a quarter of the article
deals with his ties to Nazis. Granted, he admits it was the "greatest mistake"
of his life, so I suppose the attention to it may not be unwarranted. But I
think it would have been prudent to touch on what caused him to shift his
perspective. "Youthful stupidity" doesn't convey much.

Still, I can't help but feel like the information age is ushering in a modern-
day version of the Akashic records. A double-edged sword anyone with an
internet connection can consult. We laud past failures as learning experiences
when it comes to startups, almost as if it's a badge of honor. But it's a very
different story when someone violates a social contract, even in retrospect.
(Albeit there are plenty of cases where people are embraced because of the
drastic changes they made in their life, e.g. gang members that become
speakers for at-risk youth.)

I think there's both a wisdom, and ignorance, of crowds/culture. And these
crowds are constantly redrawing the line of who deserves redemption. Lately,
the line seems to be inching in the wrong direction in my opinion.

With the advent of the internet it's scary to think about how efficiently the
arbiters of information control the narrative. "We do not judge men by what
they are in themselves, but by what they are relatively to us." -Madame
Swetchine.

~~~
5_minutes
Objectively, what IBM did, in helping the nazis, and was collaborating with
them, for many years into the war - even when the US was getting involved —,
was much worse then what this guy was doing.

There’s also Porsche, Volkswagen (basically, Hitler’s own brand) and any other
brands that were involved, and basically the catholic church was preaching in
many EU countries for their sons to join the German army...

~~~
bjourne
In which countries were the Catholic Church preaching that? All I've read
claims the opposite, that the church was against Nazism:
[https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005206](https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005206)
[http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/march-10th-2017/the-e...](http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/issues/march-10th-2017/the-
end-of-the-hitlers-pope-myth/) At the time the Catholic Church was the largest
organization in the world, so _some_ clergy is bound to have supported the
Nazis, but the majority did not.

~~~
5_minutes
In Belgium it is widely known that families where promised more food stamps if
they would sign up their sons. This was done by priests, at the local sunday
church mass.

This is also one of the reasons there were so many 'collaborators' in belgium
- a very Catholic country at the time - , while in fact the main goal was to
get rid of the French dominance.

But if you're interested in the topic, Google what the Vatican did those days.

------
ajaimk
Humor: I really want to see his coffin. It better arrive flat packed with
self-assembly requirements.

------
mozumder
Did he leave instructions on assembling his funeral?

<3 <3 Ikea is life

~~~
jacquesm
> <3 <3 Ikea is life

Fortunately it really isn't. It is ok, mostly single use stuff that seems to
be cheap but that is actually quite expensive if you take into account the
material costs and the production quality. Even so, their sticker price and
economies of scale put almost everybody competing with them out of business.

~~~
varjag
Could you point out specifically where they are cutting corners? Their
materials are cheap, but not particularly short-lived. The woodwork quality is
second to none: never experienced jams, excess play or position mismatches on
IKEA pieces.

~~~
jacquesm
The edge connectors are particularly troublesome and those are present in
almost all their furniture making it next to impossible to disassemble a piece
of furniture to move it to a new house. They are designed to be single use.

~~~
adrianN
I've disassembled and moved Ikea furniture multiple times. You have to be a
bit careful, but it's certainly not impossible.

~~~
jacquesm
Well, lucky you. I've had those 'cam lock nuts' break loose on first assembly
(so not even when disassembling to move them), and I'm plenty careful and have
_lots_ of experience when it comes to mechanics. The basic problem is this:
You are supposed to put a very short screw into a bunch of glued together
particle board fibers at a ninety degree angle, and then the cam lock will
_pull_ on that link to create the desired connection. So you're pulling with
considerable force on a 5 mm screw thread into particle board. That's entirely
the wrong way to connect particle board, it is borderline strong enough for
that first assembly but if you ever take that piece of furniture apart the
fibers will be pretty much destroyed the second time you drive the screw in,
and anybody who has tried to move the pieces with those screws sticking out
more than likely ended up repairing things in creative ways because they will
break off when you look at them cross eyed so forget about moving them around.

Altogether this is one of the worst things about Ikea furniture, that and the
over reliance on honeycomb cardboard filled surfaces making solid looking
sidewalls anything but.

------
aridiculous
I once was talking to a firefighter who was saying that these days
house/apartment fires burn hotter and much more rapidly. Why? Because of cheap
furniture (materials and construction). He didn’t have kind things to say
about IKEA.

~~~
mullen
Considering that the number of house fires are down between 30% - 50% in the
developed world, I say we call it break even.

