Blockchain Summit on Richard Branson's Private Island

Report on the «summit meeting» blockchain community on Necker Island in the Caribbean. Story abouthow people in slippers are changing the global economy.

The young beauty waved to us from the red pier. A light sea breeze elegantly wrapped a short dress around her body. She waved with her left hand, and with her right held a hat with wide brim to protect it from the scorching sun. The captain drowned out the speedboat engine, and I jumped ashore.

«Welcome to Necker. My name is Kezia» — The girl said and turned around. «Follow me».

The temperature was perfect — around 25degrees — just when you are neither cold nor hot, a complete idyll with nature. The crystal clear water of the Caribbean Sea was only a couple of degrees cooler. The invitation said to "dress comfortably and smartly," so I threw on a white beach shirt and swim shorts.

My journey lasted 36 hours, and finally Ireached the island, which has been the permanent residence of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson for 10 years. Kezia led me to a golf cart parked on the sand. For some reason, thoughts came to mind about the island’s accountant, who acted as a naked living plate at a sushi party. I also remember Branson’s interview, where he talks with a smile about one administrator who tried to prohibit the island’s staff from having romantic relationships with visitors, however, this ban was only enough for 2 days.

There is no boundary between business and personal on the islandlife, at least for employees. For those moments when Branson wants privacy, he bought another island next door called Mosquito. His only neighbor on this island is Branson's old kite-surfing friend Larry Page, CEO of Google.

The reason for my visit was a meeting of a couple of dozenentrepreneurs and radical anarcho-capitalists from the upper echelons of the Bitcoin crowd. The roots of this event go back to a private party on Necker Island, when the organizers of a kite-surfing meetup called the MaiTai asked Branson if he wanted to gather all the brightest minds from the Bitcoin world for a beer on the island. «Of course» — he answered then. I had little idea what could come of this, but it turned out that someone had begun to seriously organize the meeting. «Looking forward to seeing you in Paradise» — was written in the invitation to the blockchain summit.

Only a select few dozen peoplereceived invitations to the island. Initially, there was only one woman among the participants, which caused a wave of dissatisfied comments from the participants. The organizers quickly corrected this by inviting several more representatives of the fairer sex. To get to the island, all guests faced an exhausting road. Necker is located on the easternmost part of the British Virgin Islands, 2 hours by plane from Jamaica. Typically, an entrance ticket to the island costs several thousand dollars for each day of stay.

I met some of the participants along the way.While waiting for the ferry, I met a guy in jeans and a green T-shirt, who turned out to be Michael Zeldin, a well-known anti-money laundering activist in the United States and a frequent guest on CNN. Michael was also the American representative at the G7 summit, and now he — special counsel to a law firm representing 17 of the 20 largest US banks.

Standing next to Michael was Brock Pierce, in his bathing suit.shorts and a Caribbean beer in hand. Pearce claims to have coined the term "user-generated content." He became a multimillionaire by the age of 17. When he lived in Spain, he created an empire on online games, he mined and sold virtual currencies, with which he could buy things and weapons in games. This is how he became one of the most influential founders of crypto entrepreneurship. Over a beer, he told me that he is the founder and managing partner of his own financial investment firm, and is now an investor in 34 different firms.

Pierce, Zeldin and I received invitations to the blockchain summit, where we intended to «bring together the best minds in digital innovation» and «define the future». In fact,what was happening was the concentration of money and power in the center of the Caribbean on the personal island of a billionaire, with the aim of a joint conspiracy. The culmination of the event was scheduled for the evening of the second day — «final dinner of the blockchain summit». Making friends during a cocktail party and feeding the lemurs.

The golf cart rolled several meters alongalong a narrow stone path on the sand and stopped in front of a two-story wooden house. «The rest are already having lunch inside. I invite you to have a drink, look around and join us», — Kezia said.

«Will I need money?» — I asked.

She laughed, shook her head, and left.

I heard the noise of guests coming from the secondfloors. The ground floor was designed like a tropical bar, open on all sides. A tennis match was shown on the big TV. Reggae music was heard from hidden speakers. In the center of the bar, a brown creature with the head of a dog and the body of a monkey was finishing off the drink someone had left behind. Presumably this was one of the same lemurs that Branson brought from Madagascar, saving them from extermination. He also brought hundreds of other species to the island to save them, — «Mother Nature's Great Hits». The lemur stared at me brazenly at first, then went back to his drink.

Branson apparently had two things on his mind when creating his island paradise:sex and booze. His personal villa was built in Baliby local craftsmen, then dismantled, delivered, and re-erected on the highest point of Necker Island. A wooden Jacuzzi was installed directly on the roof where the flag of the British Virgin Islands flutters — Union Jack on a blue background with the slogan «Be vigilant». From here you can see the entire island: a beach house, a tennis court, two ponds, many love nests scattered around the area for privacy, and, in the distance, several other islands. Directly opposite the house — the shimmering turquoise endless Caribbean Sea stretching beyond the horizon.

Necker Island was one of the princess's holiday destinationsDiana. In her letter to Branson, she confessed her love for this place. Branson has used the island as a staging area for high-level meetings on several occasions. For example, he once brought together politicians and entrepreneurs such as Tony Blair and Larry Page to save the planet from climate change. Under the terms of an agreement with the local government, Branson committed to build a resort on the island immediately after purchasing the island in 1979. Then he was only 28 years old. For $65,000 a day, you can now rent the entire island for a group of no more than 30 people. I also saw the solar panels that supply the island with electricity. On a hidden pier, workers were busy unloading the boats, which cruised non-stop, supplying the island with everything it needed, including sunscreen and an energy drink called Pussy.

We live in an era of rampant progress, whichcan be compared to the end of the 19th century, when new technologies such as railways and the telephone changed everything and made it possible to generate wealth that had previously been undreamed of. These days we are also seeing an unprecedented rise in the number of super-rich people. Today's Rockafellers — these are Zuckerberg, Page, Gates, and, of course, Branson. Today there are about 1,800 dollar billionaires on the planet. Over the past few years, their fortunes have increased so significantly that they began to wonder what they should do with all this money. At the same time, in one valley near San Francisco (we are talking about Silicon Valley) there are a huge number of high-tech entrepreneurs who desperately need money to develop their business ideas, they need a hell of a lot of money.

The goal of these entrepreneurs is to rebuildexisting industries using new technologies, capturing the market, and generating significant profits. They call it «breakdown» (disruption). For example, what AirBnB did in the hotel industry, or Uber did in taxis. The larger the target industry, the better. Google even created a special department called Google X for super-ambitious projects trying to take over the world, so unrealistic that most people consider them stupid, but not the multi-billionaires who can easily share a couple of billions to implement them.

But soon the heavy ones will come to Silicon Valleytimes for the first time since the .com bubble burst in 2001. Today's bubble may not be that big, at least that's what most experts hope, but no one knows for sure. However, when we arrived on the island, there was a sense that there was an urgent need for new spaces to dream, startups in new areas that would change entire industries with multi-billion dollar capitalizations, and great potential for venture capitalists. One of these ideas is being promoted by Richard Branson. He is worth $4.9 billion and has invested many millions in dozens of Bitcoin startups, including $30 million in blockchain.info, a popular Bitcoin wallet and blockchain explorer.

In his opening speech, Bransonencouraged guests to evaluate their business ideas on a scale of «impact on society». The speech was accompanied by a musical interlude performed by international cello star Zoe Keating, who spent the entire time on the island with us, admiringly posting selfies on Instagram with Branson's giant tortoises.

I walked out of the rooftop jacuzzi, passingseveral terraces, into a hall with huge ceilings that can accommodate tall palm trees. A glittery disco ball hung from the center. I noticed several books on the comfortable sofas arranged in the lobby, with titles like «An Optimist's Tour of the Future or an Experiment in Industrial Democracy».

Imagine the birth of the Internet. This phenomenon is about the same scale.

There were several rows on the other side of the barwicker chairs and a large TV with the words «Blockchain Summit — Vision». It was clear to me that this was a meeting of people whose time was very valuable. These people do not meet just for fun, although whenever possible they try to combine business with pleasure.

Branson didn’t even choose a place to live.by chance. He officially moved to the island in 2006 for health reasons, he said. But the British Virgin Islands, or BVI for short, of which Naker Island is a part, are the most popular offshore tax haven in the world. Having developed a complex network of companies in the BVI, Branson now pays almost no taxes in his native UK. And there are many heard about the island of Nacker. This is a miracle island, which serves as a living example of how a single person can confront the whole state.

For the administration of the summit, the organizers invitedrenowned financial technology writer and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Michael Casey. Last year he published The Century of Cryptocurrency, a book about digital currencies like Bitcoin based on blockchain principles.

Blockchain, as Casey explains in the book, —it is a ledger, a universal ledger, a digital structure that contains a record of every Bitcoin transaction for every person. Unlike our current monetary system, where each bank maintains its own centralized ledger to verify the correct movement of funds, blockchain decentralizes verification by creating a shared public database that is stored on every computer connected to it. Thus, the blockchain allows each Bitcoin user to take on the functions of a bank.

But this is just one application. Blockchain not only allows you to create a reliable electronic currency. Also, this technology can also replace all companies, law firms and agencies whose main job is asset management. Also, the Bitcoin community has recently been divided due to disputes about the future of the blockchain, and whether or not the blockchain can grow quickly and cheaply while maintaining the current design. But this issue was not the topic of the summit. No one wanted to catch a cloud in the clear sky.

On the beach I counted a bunch of guys in their early 30s.Everyone is wearing shorts and looks bored. A bearded giant named Oliver Lucket played music on a small, tube-shaped boombox that teenagers often use in parks. He told how he recently bought a Rolls Royce for 10 thousand dollars on the Internet, with only one purpose — Burn him with powerful flamethrowers on video to make a rap video. This became a viral video and quickly spread through followers all over the internet. «A good purchase, isn't it?», he asked. Everyone else agreed. Laketa's company «Audience» worked to promote Obama on social media at one time. Before that, Laket worked at Disney. He is considered something of a minister of propaganda.

In the distance I noticed a catamaran with a dozen people.Perhaps Branson was there. «Would you like to try something?», the beach worker asked me. He led me to a stand filled with surfboards, sailboats and diving masks. On the wall nearby was a photograph of Branson, grinning broadly at the camera, racing through the water, the wind blowing his hair. He is on a surfboard, holding a kitesurfing sail in front of him, and a naked model-looking girl is hanging on his back with a backpack, her legs wrapped around it.

A Dutchman, about fifty years old, whointroduced myself as Mark, wanted to ride a paddle on the board, and I decided to join him. Mark is investing in startups. He flew from Vancouver. I asked about the purpose of his visit. The coach found a site with calm water and laid boards on it for us.

«Bitcoin is clearly getting seriousthing», answered Mark, trying to stand on a shaky board. «Look who came to the island — President of Samsung, Chief of Strategic Development of Eranst & Young. You heard that Obama's favorite economist, Larry Summers, is now running a Bitcoin bank. And about the founder of Visa?»

I ran into Michael Casey at a tropical bar.He looked like a classic American war TV reporter with huge microphones, only Michael — Australian. We ordered «painkillers» — great cocktail in coconut, and started talking.

«Since the 2008 crisis, financialthe system was completely broken. They tried for a long time to hide this fact by printing more and more dollars, but the money — it's just a product, and now we have a clear oversupply of it. Look what's happening in Switzerland. Negative interest rates. You have to pay to borrow someone money. Of course people will look for other assets, real estate or something else. But what should they use as currency?» Casey shook his head.

«The fundamental problem of financialThe crisis was that everything was too interconnected. Centralization. This was already crazy enough, but it got even worse. Today, the entire international economy depends on two central banks. And you call it stable? Bitcoin — this is an alternative to this whole broken system.»

It was almost time for evening cocktails.I walked with Lucket and the Australian back from the tropical bar to Branson's villa. The Australian showed us his room, which costs $2,000 a night. And this is still a good price, budget - but even this Australian had to share with his roommate — the elderly futurist Marshall Thurber. From the balcony, Casey captured the sunset in a photo.

«This is such an exciting time. Imagine witnessing the birth of the Internet. This is a phenomenon of approximately the same scale.» — Mike said.

The first guests arrived the day before, but no oneI had no clear idea of what awaited us. Back in the large hall, Casey sat down on the sofa next to an obese bald man in a blood-red polo T-shirt. He talked about how he wrote the constitution of Peru. This was Hernando de Soto, an adviser to various governments, perhaps the most famous promoter of market capitalism in Latin America, which in his opinion is the cure for all ills, in recent times — even from terrorism.

Casey said thatwhen de Soto has a question about Russia, he just calls Putin, and he immediately answers.Bill Clinton once called de Soto "the greatest economist alive." The Prime Minister of the Virgin Islands personally sent him the visa to ensure he arrived on time for the meeting. De Soto has frighteningly large, hairy hands that he moves like giant crab claws. This morning, the Peruvian told the participants about their main mission: to bring capitalism back to life. In truth, true capitalism has not yet been formed.

Poverty, according to the theory that brought deSoto international fame, — This is not the result of exploitation, but only an unfortunate exception. In other words, poor people do not participate in capitalism because they have nothing to offer in return. For example, poor citizens build shacks, but do not legally own them, because... there is no body or law that would allow them to be registered. If they had some kind of official paper, a certified title to the property, then the shack would have a certain value. They could sell it, or take out a loan secured by property to open a business. To lift people out of poverty, their values must be individually tied to them directly. They must have ownership rights to their property.

In most countries this is practically impossible.De Soto opened a folder with papers: more than three dozen applications need to be filled out to register a company in Peru. «Physical blockchain», which requires hundreds of days to process transactions. If such issues are corrected, world poverty will disappear and global capitalism will flourish. Those gathered were delighted with his words.

Opposite de Soto sat Bryan Ford, silentthe man who until recently was Obama's chief technology adviser. And now, he leads Digital Currency Initiative, a digital currency research company, at a science lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also travels around the world, trying to persuade the governments of different countries and company executives to give the blockchain a chance to show themselves.

Next we were invited to dinner with a view of hundreds ofscreaming flamingos. The fire was burning, the cooks were standing at the buffet, and a long white table was waiting for us. Apart from the staff, no one followed the official dress code for the dinner, “an evening in white.” Most were wearing shorts. Business suits — This is a facade of civilization, too strict and official. Unexpectedly, a shark fin appeared on the surface of the sea right behind the buffet. One of the guests grinned and threw a chicken bone there. The inscription on his T-shirt read: “Save water, drink champagne.”

I sat down opposite Paul Brody, the skinnya manager from San Francisco with short, graying hair. He raved about how Branson crushed him on the tennis court at 7am this morning. "Impressive for a 65-year-old," he said.

Brody has tried every personal trainer onisland. A little morning exercise, where everything is included. I asked him how much he paid to get here. «Hmm… The company paid for everything. My travel allowances — $36,000 for 3 days, plus flights, plus accommodation on the island — 8000… Total about 50 thousand dollars.»

«No state in the world will be able to control Bitcoin anymore.»

Brody is considered a rising star in SiliconValley. His husband (yes, husband) was involved in negotiations for Facebook to buy Instagram. Brody himself, while still working at IBM, had 6,000 people under management, his focus was working on the Internet of Things (IoT). He currently works for Ernst&Young as an American «Strategic Leader». Somehow our conversation turned to bicycles. He said, «Oh, I loved pedaling until I got hit by a car. I promised myself that I wouldn't ride a bike again until all the cars on the streets were self-driving.» Our table neighbor summed it up optimistically: “Yes, people are too unreliable. We have to take them out of the equation.

Sitting next to Brody was Jeff Garzik, one of thekey bitcoin developers. At the meeting, he was looking for investors who would help him launch satellite projects into Bitcoin orbit to create a «special Bitcoin network». «No state in the world will be able to control Bitcoin anymore,» he promised.

Later I came across a group of service people,relaxing on the sofa. They passed around an electronic cigarette filled with liquid marijuana. One of them said that it takes the efforts of 120 people every day to maintain the island, or 3 employees for every guest. He also said that his salary is $1,200 a month. This, by the way, is Brody's rate for one hour.

***

Around 9 the next morning you can have breakfastThere was a choice: bacon, eggs, tomatoes, croissants, kale juice for detoxification, granola and bottles of champagne with gold stickers "Sir Richard Branson's Private Island". While helping myself to muesli, I didn’t even notice how I found myself face to face with Branson himself.

«Hello», he said casually withfriendly smile. Tanned, in a gray T-shirt and bathing shorts, with golden, almost glowing hair that went well with his large mouth and giant teeth that were framed by a dark goatee. He grabbed a glass of fruit juice and went off to munch on his granola. I followed him to a veranda with a long wooden table, large enough to accommodate all 30 people who were currently visiting the island.

«Blockchain will allow capitalism to more fully enter the Internet.»

The life of a billionaire, as I began to understand, is similaron a live reality show. De Soto, Forde, Casey and Lucket immediately surrounded Branson. Everyone tried to sell him their projects and plans using as few words as possible. You have 90 seconds to try to convince the best investor you have the chance to meet in your life to take part in your project. Branson, with his nearly $5 billion fortune and reputation as an investor in the wildest business ideas, — this is an amazing opportunity.

Branson listened calmly, eating his muesli anddrinking coffee. Sometimes he asked questions in a calm voice. His stuttering was under control (Branson has suffered from dyslexia since childhood). He wanted to return to the buffet, but he managed to walk no more than a few meters before they intercepted him again and started talking about a new idea or taking photos (and immediately posting the photos online, thereby immediately increasing the market value of the person in the photo next to Branson ).

Around 10 o'clock we gathered for the main event.35 participants, including 7 women, gathered in front of a screen in a large hall. Some of them prepared short presentations. Brody, the star executive, explained that in the near future, almost everything will be online.

«Every toaster will have a chip as it is nowiPhone. If a device gets the ability to go online, what happens to it? We may collect data about its use, measure and improve performance. In fitness, wristbands have appeared that can count our steps. There's AirBnB in real estate, so we can rent out our apartments when we're not home. We can also rent out cars when we don’t need them.»

Brody continued:«New potential is opening up everywhere. If there was an index calculated based on potential, its potential and trading opportunities would be incredible. Blockchain — it is precisely a tool for determining value on the Internet, where everything can be bought and sold.» After these words, de Soto literally beamed.

Blockchain will essentially allow capitalism to be more fullygo to the Internet. In the past, these attempts have failed because in the digital environment everything is copied too easily. It follows that nothing is unique, so digital content such as music, pictures, text is almost always free, or must be protected incredibly well. The ability of the blockchain to store every piece of code can completely remove the possibility of copying a song, for example, because all legal owners of digital copies can be easily tracked. Blockchain-based digital magazines will have unique copies, just like paper ones. They will be able to be bought and sold as physical objects.

Next up, long-haired geek Patrick Deegandemonstrated one possible application of this idea. He used blockchain to create digital passports, allowing people to register their property. Deegan spoke about “smart contracts”: digital contracts that execute themselves automatically. For example, leased cars will not start unless the lease has been paid for. There will be no need for maintenance personnel. Deegan is very optimistic. Blockchain can automate the entire bureaucracy. It can replace millions of workers. Incredible potential.The world's most powerful banks formed a consortium called R3 to use these ideas.

Most speakers agreed thatBlockchain ideas will significantly improve people's lives. One speaker remembered the visionary Buckminster Fuller, and showed his book Spaceship Earth, with his favorite quote from it «the fate of all mankind rests on the honesty of every person«.He then introduced a rating system for people, where everyone continuously ranks each other. Just like in the Uber taxi service, customers rate drivers, and drivers rate customers, and these reviews are publicly available.

But for the guests, the rather big complexity of practical business application of this idea seemed to be a problem. The reaction of the audience was rather heterogeneous. Although, everyone applauded amiably.

At the end of the Locket (Rolls-Royce burner),demonstrated that the development of the Internet and blockchain is not only spiritually true, but also deeply natural. Nature itself is organized on the net. As evidence, he showed photos of mushroom networks and compared them to visualization of social networks. This caused febrile applause.

During a short pause, the participants gathered atterrace with a giant chessboard for group 3D photography. When the photo drone emerged from the blue of the sky, everyone waved their hands as a group greeting.

At lunch, which was served in the lower pool,the general mood was quite euphoric. As soon as I plunged into the water, the girl pointed a boat loaded with drinks in my direction. «Sake cocktail?» Then a flower-decorated sushi kayak arrived. An expensive French chef in bathing shorts was busy in the kitchen. Under the cover of a palm tree there was a bar, from where the electro-pop group Ratatat could be heard, the composition “Cream on Chrome.”

Over the coconut water in the bar, I talked to an investment banker with gel-pruned hair. He was slightly stoned.

«Blockchain — fantastic idea!My business profits primarily from working with China. It's damn hard — a lot of regulation, transparency and restrictions. Huge expenses for monitoring expenses… Blockchain… I think the efficiency will increase incredibly.»

«How?», — I asked.

«When everything will work through the blockchain… I can fire half my team. Lawyers, notaries, bankers — they just do what the blockchain does automatically.»

Then a woman in a tight black dress with a huge hat distracted his attention. The guests began to gather for the party.

Fresh fish was excellent, it must have beencaught far from here, because the mysterious virus made all the local fish inedible. A dark-haired man aged about 35 podgreb to me. He trades bitcoins in London and France.

«Huge sectors of the state do notnothing useful, just involved in asset management and contract execution. Not only central banks, but also passport offices, registration offices, land and real estate registrars.»

At this time, the managing venture capitalist slipped into the water next to us with a Blackberry in his hands and commented «C’est une revolution» (This is a revolution).

We got out of the pool and a young skinny Arabappeared in front of me, saying «Salam» with a smile. My friend explained that this guy came from the United Arab Emirates. He may be the first blockchain investor from this country. He may even be richer than Branson. But despite this, Branson forbade the Arab to take bodyguards with him to the island.

We came to the beach and took snorkeling masks. I swam along the shore. A pulsating spherical creature, half a meter in diameter, caught my eye. It was full of strange and big fish.

***

At about seven, I met Tina Hu, who heads the Bitcoin information site. She publishes updates constantly, even when painted.

«I can't afford to look bad.I'm almost always online.» Tina was one of several women invited after guests criticized the organizers for inviting only men. The remaining women included an aerospace engineer from Branson's space company, a prominent lawyer, and Elizabeth Rosiello, CEO of Nairobi-based BitPesa, which allows exchanges between Bitcoin and local African currencies.

It's great for cryptocurrencies that changes are coming. Bitcoin will never get mass distribution, as long as it is perceived only as money for Internet gangsters. On the same morning, an inconspicuous man with an incredible comb on his head and in an apricot-colored linen shirt, who had previously worked for the US Department of Justice, suggested that bitcoiners begin cooperation with government agencies. A strategic truce, so to speak.

We arrived at the tropical bar just in time.The chef prepared Moroccan food, perhaps in honor of a special guest arriving from the Middle East. The table was in the shape of the letter «U». About 70 guests gathered. I noticed Brock Pierce, Michael Zeldin, several women in dresses. Torches stuck out of the sand. New Zealand rose wine was poured. Sitting across from me was Ted Rogers, who looked like the captain of a rowing team. Rogers — director of the Xapo bitcoin storage company, whose team was joined by Larry Summers after withdrawing his candidacy for the post of chairman of the US Federal Reserve System.

Rogers said Bitcoin entrepreneursmust move from the pirate islands to normal countries. Xapo has one representative office in Argentina, another in Switzerland. He believes that Switzerland could be a good springboard for bitcoin. There is the most optimal culture of privacy and there is no government creeping into their own affairs. Regulators work at an acceptable level, you can talk to them. He explained that in the Swiss city of Zug there is already a significant bitcoin community, Branson even came there.

Zug — small town with a population of 30 thousandman, was once the Swiss capital for offshore banking. Thanks to its free-market reputation, the city has become one of the world's leading hubs for the crypto scene. However, it's so boring that Xapo had to set up shop half an hour north in Switzerland's largest city, Zurich. In January, Xapo CEO Wences Casares joined the directors of PayPal.

There are 2 types of billionaires. Some make money at work in the system, while others, like Branson, make money at its destruction.

The sounds of the cello came from the tennis court. There, the guests sat on the pillows laid out in a semicircle. Branson was seated on a sofa in the center with an Arab sheikh on his left hand. Cellist Zoe Keating left the stage. De Soto got up, he spoke next. At one point, Branson was left alone.

I addressed him as «Sir», he glanced in my direction. «You once signed a contract with the Sex Pistols».

He nodded, showing his teeth in a smile.Branson was traveling down the Thames in 1977 on Queen's Silver Jubilee, just as the world's most revolutionary punk band made its famous jab at the British Queen. The police intervened, there was a case of lese majeste, and the press trumpeted about it everywhere. The scandal made the Sex Pistols song an instant hit, and brought Branson a ton of money. There are 2 types of billionaires. Some make money by working for the system, while others, like Branson, make money by destroying it.

I asked him: «Is this, now, the same as then? Against the state, against banks?«.

Sir Richard grinned and replied: «Of course, man. You got it right!» And he raised his hand, offering a high-five.

«Capital!» — De Soto shouted, his gaze threateningly scanning the crowd. «This word was engraved next to the image of Caesar's head on Roman coins». His voice was so strong that even the cellist listened to him carefully. De Soto raised his fist. «Head — this is power, and now this head — you.»

Branson watched everything with great pleasure, like a child who saw his model airplane get off the ground for the first time. De Soto pointed to the audience and said: «you— advanced group of creators of new capital«.

«Yes, yes!» — yelled Branson from his couch and started clapping. The others joined in and cheers filled the entire island.