Elon Musk bought Twitter recently for a whopping $44 billion, and honestly, who was surprised? After all, Elon Musk isn’t like any regular billionaire one sees. As crazy as the amount was, somehow, this was exactly the kind of thing one would expect from the billionaire who doesn’t shy away from sharing dank memes on social media and having somewhat erratic exchanges with random users online.
While not surprising, one can't help but wonder if there was a better use of his money. Sure, it’s his money, he can do whatever he wishes with it. But let’s just indulge this thought for once and put that $44 billion into context to see what it could have achieved a better purpose than just acquiring a social media site.
So, what exactly can be done with $44 billion?
1. Solve World Hunger
David Beasley, director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme, said that Elon Musk could solve world hunger just by spending $6 billion, which constitutes about 2% of his income. This means that, with the $44 billion, Musk could have ensured no one in the world remained hungry for at least seven years.
2. Build 250+ Schools
According to Spaces4Learning, a resource bank and service provider in the architectural field, it takes an average of $16 million to build one school in the United States. With his $44 billion, Musk could have helped construct and fund roughly 271 schools, which would have provided free education for 170,000 children.
3. Build More Than 50 Lakh Washrooms
It costs about $7,600 to build an outdoor washroom in the United States. The money Musk used to buy Twitter could have funded the construction of more than 57 lakh washrooms in the country and ensured a clean and hygienic surrounding for several communities.
4. Ending Homelessness
According to Politifact, it costs $20 billion to end homelessness in the United States and ensure housing for every family in the country. Musk could have spent less than half the money he did to buy Twitter and help thousands, if not lakhs of families find a permanent home.
5. Halt global warming by 14 Percent
It will cost $300 billion to successfully halt global warming, according to Politifact. Even though Musk’s $44 billion doesn't solve the problem completely, it will help near the goal by 14 percent, and make significant progress towards climate action.
With $44 billion, these are just a few of the many issues Elon Musk could solved, and still be left with more than 70% of his net worth.
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