Hello. I have a business proposal.

In the shower I was inspired to build a multibillion dollar business by selling nothing for something, and then convincing governments and investors to buy it. I would argue that my business model is better for society and more environmentally sustainable than the current leading competitors.

Gambling sells nothing for something, but often results in life-destroying addiction for those who partake. AI sells nothing for something, but like its blockchain bubble predecessors does so at terrible cost to the environment and ruinous instability in the energy market and the destruction of the water supply. These prevailing models for selling nothing have a common problem: Their lack of sustainability.

My company would make nothing at no cost. This is a superior value proposition, because making nothing with nothing is just plain cheaper than making nothing with something. No long supply chains, no labor costs, no costly legal battles, no inputs of any kind, just pure efficiency. Also, because it's clean and non habit-forming I can sell the carbon credits that I earn from doing nothing to the environment. This is good, because all that the environment has ever asked of us is to do nothing to it, at least for a little while.

I'd use the cash earned from selling nothing-derived carbon credits to fund political candidates and lobbying organizations that will formalize the something for nothing business model and convince lawmakers that it is a public good in need of government protection. This will result in government subsidies for the production of nothing, which is basically how much of modern agriculture already works, but with fewer steps and no slave labor.

The only problem I foresee is the billions I would make from nothing. That would mean I have something, and as a millennial I have been taught by society that having something is not allowed, and a billion somethings is way too much. So, I'd give it back. Well, most of it.

I'd invest it all in real-life transformation technology. Now THAT would be something.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

*****

If you had a billion of something like, say, a dollar, how would you use it? What would you try to change with it? Would you make the Pie bigger? Would you eat the Pie? Would you just make yourself bigger?

https://youtu.be/iYgTrNOsMBI
Album: Introspection
Artist: Luiz Bonfá