Trend Report 101- Which Tech Gazillionaire Superhero Will Save The World

In our ever accelerating times, keeping ahead of the latest breaking news and trends from the world’s of fashion, music, film, art, tech, activism, is a time consuming daily challenge ? Sure the information is all out there, but it is a time consuming ordeal to scan all the necessary sources. As Darwin said survival depends on how quickly you can adapt.

The future belongs to those who prepare today.

In today’s PODCAST FIB’s Trend Report 101, I want to explore an emerging trend, a bit of life imitating art actually. We now seem to have a number of Tech Gazillionaires jostling to see who can save humanity and the planet. And yes I know it sounds like a new Marvel Avengers plot line, but this time it could be a  reality. In any case it’s well worth having a look at.

Let’s weigh in on the contenders as each of the three Superheroes of this story, because I will be looking at each of them as if there were.

 

BILL GATES – AKA DR STRANGE

 

Background

We all know that geeky Bill founded one of the largest software businesses and subsequently became one of the richest people on the planet because of it. Even though he stepped down from the company in 2014 to focus on his foundation the ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’, and giving away billions an billions; the shares he still owns in Microsoft continues to make him one of the richest people on the planet. Although not number one, as he was for many years.

Gates was a voracious reader as a child, and had the usual childhood hobbies, like memorising the the entire encyclopedia. Around the age of 11 or 12, Gates’ parents began to have concerns about his behaviour. He was doing well in school, but he seemed bored and withdrawn at times and his parents worried he might become a loner. His early appearance, fashion sense and demeanour made him the universal poster boy of ‘the geek’.

Gates was born in Seattle Washington in 1955 and when other young boys were listening to grunge, Bill was writing code in a computer lab 20 hours a day. You kind of knew what trajectory he was on, and when Microsoft took off globally riding the computer boom, he rode with it.

Net Worth

In 2020 his Net worth was estimated at $98 Billion.

 

Super Power

Gates has an amazing mind. He applies his immense brain power to all he touches and he is a proponent of daily and lifelong learning.

 

Track Record on Philanthropy

The ‘Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’ is committed to the eradication of malaria and polio, and controlling the spread of tuberculosis and HIV in the poorest countries of the world.

In total, the fund has given $32.9bn in grants to health programs around the world. Its work focuses on prevention, immunisation and vaccination.

The foundation’s trust endowment of $43.5bn (£29.5bn) makes grant payments in excess of $3bn every year ($3.9bn in 2014). Its focus has been on bridging the enormous health deficit between rich and poor countries and on fights it sees as vast, but ultimately winnable. Among its goals are the eradication of malaria and polio, and controlling the spread of tuberculosis and HIV.

 

Known Associates and Sidekicks

Investor Warren Buffet is a close friend, he joined the foundation as a trustee in 2006 with a £30bn pledge.

 

Greatest hits

Since the turn of the century, partly thanks to the work of the foundation, four countries have eradicated malaria. Mortality from the disease has dropped 42% in that time. Bill said in 2014 that malaria could be eliminated within a generation.

Also in 2014, after a massive coordinated effort between the Indian government, the Gates Foundation and Rotary International, India announced it was officially polio-free. The program employed 2m vaccinators who spread out across the country. Just five years before, India had more than half the world’s polio cases. It was “the greatest global health achievement I have ever witnessed,” said Bill.

 

Motivation

Since beginning their great philanthropic mission in 1997, the husband and wife team have become a powerful catalyst for the improvement of lives in the world’s poorest countries. The foundation now aims to eradicate polio worldwide by 2018.

As well as his work on health through the foundation, Bill has made climate change and clean energy a personal mission. The foundation’s annual letter for 2015 says their achievements could be undone by the advancing climate crisis.

“It is fair to ask whether the progress we’re predicting will be stifled by climate change. The most dramatic problems caused by climate change are more than 15 years away, but the long-term threat is so serious that the world needs to move much more aggressively – right now – to develop energy sources that are cheaper, can deliver on demand, and emit zero carbon dioxide,” the annual letter read.

 

What is his Plan ?

The $43.5bn trust is the largest philanthropic organisation in the world and is committed to the eradication of malaria and polio, and controlling the spread of tuberculosis and HIV.

 

JEFF BEZOS – AKA MR FANTASTIC

 

Background

Entrepreneur and eCommerce pioneer Jeff Bezos is the founder and CEO of Amazon, owner of The Washington Post and founder of the space exploration company Blue Origin. His successful business ventures have made him one of the richest people in the world.

Born in 1964 in New Mexico, Bezos had an early love of computers and studied computer science and electrical engineering at Princeton University. After graduation, he worked on Wall Street, and in 1990 he became the youngest senior vice president at the investment firm D.E. Shaw.

Four years later, Bezos quit his lucrative job to open Amazon.com, an online bookstore that became one of the Internet’s biggest success stories. In 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Post, and in 2017 Amazon acquired Whole Foods.

Bezos opened Amazon.com, named after the meandering South American river, on July 16, 1995, after asking 300 friends to beta test his site. In the months leading up to launch, a few employees began developing software with Bezos in his garage; they eventually expanded operations into a two-bedroom house equipped with three Sun Microstations.

The initial success of the company was meteoric. With no press promotion, Amazon.com sold books across the United States and in 45 foreign countries within 30 days. Books soon expanded to every other possible thing that could be commercialised through e-commerce. He did contract eCommerce for other retailers, sold his computer tech via licence and listed every possible product for eCommerce sale. Today Amazon takes 50 cents of every dollar paid through eCommerce.

As part of Bezos’ 2018 annual shareholder letter, the media tycoon said the company had surpassed 100 million paid subscribers for Amazon Prime. By September 2018, Amazon was valued at more than $1 trillion, the second company to ever hit that record just a few weeks after Apple.

 

Net Worth

In 2020 Bezos’s Net worth is estimated at $154 Billion.

 

Super Power

Bezos and Amazon is like ‘The Borg” from Star Trek who consume absolutely everything in their path.

 

Track Record on Philanthropy

Bezos has been criticised in the past for how little he spends on philanthropy in comparison to other billionaires. His announcement comes, somewhat ironically, at a time when plutocrat philanthropists are attracting greater scrutiny for how they use their massive wealth to influence policy and shape global agendas.

News of the new fund, though unexpected, comes as Amazon seeks to address criticisms that its e-commerce and shipping business fuel global carbon emissions.

More than 340 Amazon employees risked termination earlier this year after signing a Medium post published by advocacy group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice. The post criticized the company’s external communications policy, which bars employees from speaking about the company’s business without approval from management.

Amazon Employees for Climate Justice said Monday that while they support Bezos’s move, it’s still concerned about the company’s support of the oil and gas industry.

“We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away,” the group said in a statement. “The people of Earth need to know: When is Amazon going to stop helping oil & gas companies ravage Earth with still more oil and gas wells?”

The company, hoping to address similar criticisms, has in recent months launched initiatives designed to help curb its environmental impact.

 

Known Associates and Sidekicks

His now divorced wife was the only partner in Amazon with a 4% share.

 

Greatest hits

Bezos has no hits to date. In fact he has virtually no track record in philanthropy, offered few details about how the climate effort would work, but he said the first grants will roll out this summer. He’s calling it the Bezos Earth Fund.

 

Motivation

Bernie Sanders, US president Democratic hopeful, has long been outspoken about his feelings for Amazon. The presidential nominee is critical about everything from Amazon’s poor safety records and environmentally unfriendly business practices, to supposed corruption of the press – accusing Bezos’s Washington Post of giving him unfair coverage. Sanders is currently the early front-runner in the Democratic race, which means there’s a real chance he could follow through with his campaign promises to break up big corporations like Amazon if elected.

Jeff Bezos says he wants to literally save the world, but could he really just be trying to save his own ass?

Last year, Bezos unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle climate change and committed the seller to honouring the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early despite President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the landmark climate accord earlier in his term. As part of those plans, Amazon said in September it would buy a fleet of electric vans to start delivering packages to customers in 2021, with 10,000 of the new vehicles operating by 2022 and all 100,000 operating by 2030.

Bezos added at the time that the seller of everything from textbooks to lawnmowers will report its emissions metrics on a regular basis and introduce decarbonixation strategies. Amazon expects 80% of its energy use to come from renewable energy sources by 2024, up from a current rate of 40%.

 

What is his Plan ?

On his Instagram page , the Amazon CEO said he will commit $10 billion to “fund scientists, activists, NGOs” and others in an expansive, coordinated effort to fight the effects of climate change and protect the environment for future generations.

“Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet,” Bezos said in the post. “I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share.”

He said that he’s pledging $10 billion to start the fund, which will be called the Bezos Earth Fund and issue grants to climate-oriented scientists and activists.

“We can save Earth,” Bezos wrote on Instagram. “It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organisations, and individuals.”

 

ELON MUSK – AKA IRON MAN / TONY STARK

Background

Elon Musk is famous for being a serial entrepreneur. He currently resides in Pretoria, South Africa as well as Los Angeles. He founded PayPal, SpaceX, The Boring Company and Tesla Motors. He was the real life inspiration for director Jon Favreau’s take on classic comic book character Tony Stark in the Iron Man film franchise.

Elon Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa on Monday, June 28, 1971 (Generation X). He is 48 years old and is a Cancer. Elon Reeve Musk FRS is a business magnate, investor and engineer. He is the founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX; co-founder, CEO, and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; and co-founder and CEO of Neuralink.

In December 2016, he was ranked 21st on the Forbes list of The World’s Most Powerful People. As of February 2018, he has a net worth of $20.8 billion and is listed by Forbes as the 53rd-richest person in the world. He became a naturalised American citizen in 2002.

 

Net Worth

In 2020 Musk’s Net worth was estimated at $20.8 Billion.

 

Super Power

Unlike Gates and Bezos who seem to stay in their lane, Musk seems to be able to do just about anything. He appears to just imagine a problem and then works out the solution, and not just in theory he builds things and makes them work.

 

Known Associates and Sidekicks

Joe Rogan.

 

Greatest hits

There’s a growing list, and they keep getting added to.

 

Motivation

With Bernie Sanders on the Presidential Warpath, where one of his arch nemesis’ happen to be the billionaire class. It’s no surprise that the ridiculously wealthy are becoming more conscious about their social conscience perception. But whether they are motivated for good or self preservation is the key question. I would say “watch this space”.

 

What is his Plan ?

It goes something like this; replace all oil fueled automobiles with smart, self driving electric cars, create a clean global energy solution using electricity and batteries, solve urban congestion with underground tunnels and hyperloops, colonise Mars and other habitable planets, create a workable neural net between the human brain and machine intelligence.  Go on the Joe Rogan Experience and smoke dope.