Nothing New Under the Sun

There is nothing new under the sun. So said the writer in Ecclesiastes. I think a very discouraged man wrote that book of the Bible, but that’s another story.

Yet he was right. Google that sentence and it pops right up—still riding high on the algorithm.

I was considering our current most celebrated alpha dogs: King Charles III, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. Just think about how they got rich.

Being the king. This has always been a good job—one that has been around forever. King Charles III is said to be worth 2.3 billion USD, and you could not call him a self-made man. You could call him a hoarder. My line in the sand for being a hoarder, rather than just rich, would be a net worth of $10 million. After that, you are just a selfish or terrified hoarder.

Money lending. Warren Buffett is a money lender, although he calls it “investment”—a fancier word. Also, he has to be a hoarder. His net worth is supposed to be about 140 billion USD.  He is also an exemplar of rich old guy, a time-honoured role.

Cart maker. Elon Musk, of Tesla fame, is said to be worth 636 billion USD. He is also said to have at least 14 children. One of his carts, the Cybertruck, looks like something built out of a Meccano set. Hoarder.

Tool maker. Bill Gates makes tools and equipment. His net worth is about 108 billion USD, even after he has given away a large portion of his good fortune. Still, hoarder.

Running a stall in the marketplace. Jeff Bezos chose the name Amazon—by which, I suppose, he meant really, really big—and set up shop. We all like to buy stuff. His stall has brought him to a net worth of about 240 billion USD. Hoarder.

Matchmaker. Mark Zuckerberg originally put together the prototype for Facebook to help male university students find the best-looking women. Facebook has since evolved into a place for socializing and gossip—also venerable activities. His net worth is said to be 220 billion USD. Hoarder.

Woman’s work. Still never done, and largely unpaid. The workers in the world’s oldest profession are still not making billions. Being in service has never paid well. Oh well. Just noticing.