Tech bros could learn a thing or two from the richest man ever

#277. America has begun punishing countries that tax its Big Tech bigwigs, but Mansa Musa gave trillions away to boost his nation's fortunes. This is a Plan B...

Today’s about a guy you’ve probably never heard of who just happens to be the richest person in human history. Elon Musk isn’t even close.

Now that’s quite a claim, so let’s see if I am right. Where it leads is a fascinating journey into a story lost to the fogs of time, and a timely lesson for today’s leaders.

It begins in 1311. In Mali, Africa.

The nation’s fearless chief Abubakari II has itchy feet. He’s obsessing about crossing the Atlantic to discover whether a new land lies there, undiscovered.

And 200 years before Columbus, he sets out on a great expedition with 2,000 ships to discover new trade routes with fabled lands - in what’s now America.

Stood on the sand, he abdicated the throne to his 2IC Mansa Musa, then sailed over the horizon into the unknown and was never seen again.

Musa did his duty. He took control and a golden age began that focused on trade, education, and diplomacy, and avoided conflict.

Mali rose to become a nation of such wealth it remains unrivalled to this day. And Musa’s vision and influence immortalise him as the richest person to ever live.

Fascinating then that his story barely earns a footnote in history books. His genius is silenced, largely because African exceptionalism doesn’t fit with modern western colonial narratives.

In today’s terms, he’s been cancelled, but I’m fixing that because Musa’s majestic reign from 1312 to 1337 is a worthy lesson for modern day tech and political oligarchs.

There’s lots to learn here, but before we start, welcome to new subs from YouTube, media strategists Edelman, National World in the UK, home to The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post and 100 more titles, New Zealand’s Sunday Star-Times, Cisco, the University of Sydney, the distributors of Jaws and Back to the Future, London-based Park Circus, The Age newspaper, and the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre, among others.

And also to the legal team at Reuters, still nursing hangovers after their groundbreaking fair use court win over a sneaky AI. Yay 🎉

Now, back to medieval Mali, and Musa’s wealth was staggering and transformative.

He reshaped economies, cultivated cultures, and built power structures. Beyond his riches, he was a master strategist.

And an act of generosity changed the course of history…