Is Bill Gates Really That Evil?
Oh boy… a conspiracy theory.
Even better… a conspiracy theory in the world of startups.
Where do I begin?
You see, there’s a bit of a rumor swirling on social media these days. If you know where to look – and probably even if you don’t – you’ll hear about Bill Gates and his very timely investment in artificial breastmilk.
Candance Owens, in fact, got in on the idea.
“Doesn’t Bill Gates have the best luck?” the star commentator asked on Twitter. “Just like with the COVID vaccine – he makes an investment, and then suddenly there is a pandemic or shortage and everyone must line up for his product. Of course he’s invested in lab breast milk!”
Weird, right?
The theory behind all of this is simple.
Gates and his fellow billionaires – folks like Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and even Mr. Evil himself, Michael Bloomberg – who back the startup fund known as Breakthrough Energy Ventures helped lead a $3.5 million round of funding in 2022 for a small, speculative company called Biomilq.
The startup does what its name implies… well, at least it hopes to someday. The company is working on a way to make dairy products and breastmilk in a lab.
It’s a great business to be in when there’s a shortage of such things.
The problem, of course, is that the company is still years away from actually selling anything.
This is going to have to be one long shortage for Gates and company to make any money from their tiny investment.
So while we enjoy the creativity of this conspiracy theory (it’s almost as believable as our own theory that aliens will help sway midterm voters), there are some ideas worth exploring in this conversation.
Like… how is it that Bill Gates is at the center of all of this… again?
How is it that he profited from a global pandemic and is now positioned to take advantage of a shortage that could affect nearly every new mother in the country?
Well, friend, if you’ve been paying attention to what we’ve published over the last three months, you know the answer.
Bill Gates didn’t become a billionaire because he created a product that just a few folks might find useful. He didn’t invent a widget that pairs with only a specific gadget.
No… he put a computer on every desk in the country. Virtually all of them – even Apple products – license what his company sells.
Mr. Gates knows full well the power of the main idea we’ve been talking about over the last few months… that if you want to get into a successful startup, you need to make sure it offers a product that a wide – preferably global – market not only wants… but needs.
Pushing lifesaving vaccines (no matter the politics behind them) is a grand place to start. Getting the government to mandate them is even better… if you’ve got the shoes for such slippery slopes.
Surely when the fellas at Breakthrough Energy Ventures vet their potential investments, they ponder the idea.
Surely either the man who put a computer on every desk… the man who put a package on every doorstep… or the man who put news in every person’s ear… thought of that as they gave Biomilq a look.
And here’s the thing.
In fact, it’s our guarantee to you.
The next time there’s a crisis… the next time there’s something that all of us suddenly need… there will be another billionaire sopping up the profits.
It’s no conspiracy.
Investing in something everyone needs and wants is the surest path to big, fat wealth.
It may be the “trick” of the elites… but there’s nothing stopping you from getting in on this conspiracy too.
Be well,
Andy
P.S. Your thoughts? Are Bill Gates and company trouble, or are they saving the world through capitalism? Tell us why at mailbag@manwardpress.com.