Rather frequently capitalism does something that shows us exactly what it is and how it works. For example, everyone with at least a single functioning brain cell has said capitalism allows the rich and powerful to devour an ever-growing amount of the world’s wealth. In an effort to prove all of us right, capitalism this month said, “Here’s a fucking trillionaire.”
Sure, Elon Musk’s net worth has dropped back to $970 billion as of this writing, but it will likely reach a trillion dollars again soon.
In the year 2000, the richest person alive was Bill Gates with $60 billion, adjusted for inflation that’s $116 billion today. A mere 26 years later, the richest person is worth $1 trillion. It’s so much goddamn money, that in one day Musk’s wealth has fluctuated the entire net worth of Warren Buffet — about $150 billion.
In case you need a reminder, $1 trillion dollars is an unfathomable amount of wealth. If you make $60,000 a year after taxes, to make $1 trillion you’d need to work for over 16 million years.
A stack of 1 trillion $1 bills would reach to the International Space Station and back. …136 TIMES!