Tim Ferris, let me teach you about Rwanda in less than 4 minutes!
Tim Ferriss is the my new Person of Interest! I heard about him about 10 days ago, from my mentor, who is also called Tim! Ferriss has changed my life with the little I have gleaned from interviews, blog posts and YouTube videos I have watched while still trying to keep running my business!
Anyway, when I saw Tim ( if I watch +5 hours of content about you, we are on a first name basis) was on James Altucher’s Show (another PoI) I was ecstatic! I wasnt even upset about driving to a meeting on the other side of town, because my dirty VW Polo had transformed into an auditorium for me to learn from the men of the moment.
Side note: one of the few good things I took from Amway that you should turn your car into a classroom!
Tim was talking about his new book Tools of Titans and all the great people he interviewed in preparing the book, which wasn’t meant to be a book but some personal notes for himself. I am practising what I learned: 50 kettle bell swings three times a week, the shoulder extension stretch, I even called a friend who uses natural pyschedelics about the effects on his problem solving skills.
The interview was great until this moment..
Ok, I cant remember the exact moment in minutes, but Tim was gushing on about how brilliant Mark Zuckerburg is (and he is), that regardless of his circumstances- going to college or not he would be successful. It went something like “Mark is a mutant, he would be successful no matter what, unless he were born in Rwanda.”
But that comment, was really disappointing, coming from someone who I respect and who has made his life about learning and doing the unusual. That comment was so ….basic. A 4 second Google search could have curved that lack of knowledge.
I am actually happy he picked on Rwanda, because according to the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business index; Rwanda is the highest ranked African country! In fact, its actually easier to register a property in Rwanda than it is in the USA :)
I live and work in South Africa- you know the country that Elon Musk and Charlize Theron were born and educated in.. So when I hear people, who have a huge platfrom making disparaging comments about any African country, its so unfortunate. That is telling African kids, that they can’t be the next Mark Zuckerberg, and they should just give up on their dreams! I think Tim is great, but he cannot make that pronouncement on anyones future or destiny. Elon Musk will be on the moon soon- he may not be proudly South African, but we will claim him!
I am pumped up by the fact that Mark Zuckerberg visited Nigeria and Kenya in August 2016 and only had positives things to say! His exact words about Africa were “This is where the future is going to be built.” If Mark Zuckerberg was born in Rwanda today, he would be exactly who he is as we know him.
I dont know if Tim Ferriss will even see this,but if he does, I would like to invite him to South Africa! We run a non profit company called the African Emancipation Foundation where we host various activities directed at entrepreneurs,in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem. For his sins, he can come and share his world class knowledge with some incredible entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of the world!
