Mansa Musa
Folks, this is not correct. In terms of REAL EARTHLY WEALTH, Mansa Musa was much richer than anyone who ever lived, including Elon Musk.
Consider Elon Musk:
His Wealth is tied to volatile stock valuations.
He Cannot liquidate large amounts without collapsing the price.
Much of his lifestyle is funded by debt against his shares.
His “trillionaire” status is not liquid or tangible.
As for Mansa Musa… Some historians argue his effective purchasing power was equivalent to multiple trillions, because he controlled over half of the world’s gold supply at the time.
Mansa Musa had camels buckling under the weight of pure gold. Musk has a screen with a trillion pixels.
Grok estimates his net worth at $400 Billion. Impressive but not a Trillion. Musk CAN liquidate large amounts without collapsing the prices of stocks.
Most billionaires regularly, quietly liquidate large amounts in stock with no problems. You just don't announce in advance.
Matter of perspective. Musa’s “wealth” was from conquered peoples who retained most of it in their physical possession while he laid claim to it. That’s not too far off from being wealthy by today’s standards where almost no one has real physical proof of it other than data on a screen or a bank’s word for it.
But I’m the idiot who keeps saying that all currency is a shared suspension of disbelief necessary for civilization’s continuation, barely worth the cloth it’s printed on.
Mansa Musa
Interesting.
Mansa Musa also has a more interesting strange name than Elon Musk does.
So if you want to get rich, change. your name to something odd. Sets you apart instantly.
My plain old Barbara could change to Veronikala . No camels,however, or cars.
Maybe I’ll sell solid gold cat food dishes. suitable for the real royalty in the house.