The Surprisingly Small Ambitions of Billionaires

It’s often assumed, on either side of the aisle, billionaires wield too much influence on society, or seek to subvert democratic systems if their power or ambitions are left unchecked. There is a fear that billionaires aim to reshape society to reflect their values. In actuality, their plans for social control tend to range from underwhelming to unimaginative. Peter Thiel has billions and is among the most influential people in tech. What has he invested his time and money in the past 10 years after leaving Trump? A non-drug tested version of the Olympics. The Enhanced Games sought to answer what everyone already knew: steroids do increase athletic performance. It didn’t even succeed at its mission of setting new records. The athletes were already retired or second-rate, and it’s implicitly understood that Olympic athletes are on drugs. There was never much mystery left to solve. In an era of high-stakes elections and transformative AI poised to reshape society, the Enhanced Games…