Anand Giridharadas

And when I wrote that in 2018, so many Democrats, people on the left were like, Yeah, I get inequality is kind of sad, but like, why are you going after, you know, Bill Gates is doing some good work. And, you know, Jeff Bezos says he wants to give some money away and get really buff. And, you know, he needs some money to take Lauren Sanchez on dates or whatever.

Like people were just like, couldn't understand. Yes, go after the really bad ones. But why, what is the problem with kind of billionaires in general? I got criticized for using the word oligarchs on MSNBC back then. And fast forward,

Like people were just like, couldn't understand. Yes, go after the really bad ones. But why, what is the problem with kind of billionaires in general? I got criticized for using the word oligarchs on MSNBC back then. And fast forward,

Like people were just like, couldn't understand. Yes, go after the really bad ones. But why, what is the problem with kind of billionaires in general? I got criticized for using the word oligarchs on MSNBC back then. And fast forward,

to now, where I think, as you say, the mask has come off, and what has become, I think, really, really clear to people is the thing that was very difficult to show back then, convince people of back then, which is that they don't just rule through evil, because that wouldn't be very effective, because there's not that many of them.

to now, where I think, as you say, the mask has come off, and what has become, I think, really, really clear to people is the thing that was very difficult to show back then, convince people of back then, which is that they don't just rule through evil, because that wouldn't be very effective, because there's not that many of them.

to now, where I think, as you say, the mask has come off, and what has become, I think, really, really clear to people is the thing that was very difficult to show back then, convince people of back then, which is that they don't just rule through evil, because that wouldn't be very effective, because there's not that many of them.

They rule by cultivating this aura of heroism that lots of people buy into, and they need lots of people to buy into to have actually any power, right? Because... In France, I was just in France on a work trip a few months ago at a discussion about philanthropy. I asked the room, France has billionaires. Do any of your billionaires shape education policy in your country?

They rule by cultivating this aura of heroism that lots of people buy into, and they need lots of people to buy into to have actually any power, right? Because... In France, I was just in France on a work trip a few months ago at a discussion about philanthropy. I asked the room, France has billionaires. Do any of your billionaires shape education policy in your country?

They rule by cultivating this aura of heroism that lots of people buy into, and they need lots of people to buy into to have actually any power, right? Because... In France, I was just in France on a work trip a few months ago at a discussion about philanthropy. I asked the room, France has billionaires. Do any of your billionaires shape education policy in your country?

And the entire room started laughing. I was actually asking a serious question. They treated it like I'd asked if bananas shape education policy in their country. They didn't understand the connection between having been successful in business and being successful in policy. I have a friend who's a venture capitalist in China.

And the entire room started laughing. I was actually asking a serious question. They treated it like I'd asked if bananas shape education policy in their country. They didn't understand the connection between having been successful in business and being successful in policy. I have a friend who's a venture capitalist in China.

And the entire room started laughing. I was actually asking a serious question. They treated it like I'd asked if bananas shape education policy in their country. They didn't understand the connection between having been successful in business and being successful in policy. I have a friend who's a venture capitalist in China.

He once said to me, and he's a citizen of the United States also, I think dual citizen. He said, I'm a rich guy in China, and I'm a rich guy in the United States. The difference is, in my native country of China, No one thinks my views about public policy matter.

He once said to me, and he's a citizen of the United States also, I think dual citizen. He said, I'm a rich guy in China, and I'm a rich guy in the United States. The difference is, in my native country of China, No one thinks my views about public policy matter.

He once said to me, and he's a citizen of the United States also, I think dual citizen. He said, I'm a rich guy in China, and I'm a rich guy in the United States. The difference is, in my native country of China, No one thinks my views about public policy matter.

Whereas when I fly to America, my second country, not even where I was born, being a rich guy, my thoughts about who should be in power or what policy suddenly become very, very important. So that notion of wealth buying the right to shape what this society is like, that is what oligarchy is. And I'm happy we're living in a time in which I think more and more people get it.

Whereas when I fly to America, my second country, not even where I was born, being a rich guy, my thoughts about who should be in power or what policy suddenly become very, very important. So that notion of wealth buying the right to shape what this society is like, that is what oligarchy is. And I'm happy we're living in a time in which I think more and more people get it.

Whereas when I fly to America, my second country, not even where I was born, being a rich guy, my thoughts about who should be in power or what policy suddenly become very, very important. So that notion of wealth buying the right to shape what this society is like, that is what oligarchy is. And I'm happy we're living in a time in which I think more and more people get it.

And it's very related to the media point because we're in a world in which the infrastructure of reality is is owned by more and more by oligarchs. And we've seen the oligarchs to be spineless people in general who are so scared of Donald Trump. You think Jeff Bezos would not give Lauren Sanchez to Donald Trump if that was the tribute that Donald Trump demanded? There is nothing they won't do