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Time’s “Person of the Year is a marker of influence” and Elon Musk is a Bad One
With an exorbitant net worth, lack of empathy, and outsized role in global affairs, Elon Musk isn’t a good choice.
In 2011, Elon Musk’s net worth stood around $2,000,000,000. The US federal minimum wage at the time was $7.25. In 2021, Musk’s net worth ballooned to almost $300,000,000,000. The US federal minimum wage remains at $7.25. Over the past decade, we have watched as billionaires control more and more of the global wealth and how with that they are able to increasingly shape the world the way they see fit.
In 1999, Time selected Jeff Bezos as their Person of the Year. Bezos said at the time, “This is an incredible and humbling honor. The Internet holds the promise to improve lives and empower people. I feel very lucky to be involved in this time of rapid and amazing change.” What changed? Bezos became the second richest man in the world after Musk and led Amazon into becoming the largest online marketplace in the world. Along the way, he created a company that is known for putting the customer before its workers, avoiding taxes, and accelerating climate change. What does the future hold for Musk then? If it looks anything like what Bezos did, then we will watch as the world continues to be led by…
