Birthday Wishes

 "Well that answers a few questions." 
"What's that?"
"Horizon from meta." 
"Instead of investing in an existing platform that just offer the temu version of it with a glossy overcoat."
"It can't be that bad."
"Oh, it's not?"  
"Yeah, I mean, you're not the first person to have that idea." 
"I know I'm not, but it doesn't change the fact that it was my design concept being ripped off by someone that thinks they're above justice."
"Come off it dude, you can't have invented everything." 
"I didn't.  I designed, outlined, created a blueprint.  And instead of saying "hey, cool idea, we're going to cut you in and give you a say on how it's deployed they took it." 
"Can you prove that?"
"I'll have to dig through the blog posts. Find my sketches, but yeah. Yeah I can." 
"How'd they do it?"
"Data scraping across the internet.  I mean Facebook was originally designed as the "Fuck, marry, kill." on a college network.  That's a matter of public record. You think someone that would do that shit wouldn't steal from a designer that isn't shy about talking to people?" 
"You didn't patent it."
"I point you again, to that little orange button that I hit every time I post one of these.  That the promise of paying for and using storage with Google is that my files will be protected."  
"Okay.."
"So which is it?  Did he pick up the design by having an ai bot scrape across my blog, or did an ai bot, or worse a hacker go into my documents and read through them?"    
"Because last I checked, the only people I allowed access to those where specific individuals I was either trying to hire or doing a project for." 
"What if it was the latter." 
"Then where's my fee?"
"Oh..."
"Yeah. My contract hasn't changed in over 20 years.  Sure, I wrote up a new pay scale so that everyone on staff is being paid the same.  So that they can approach their jobs from a position of "fuck you" in case they feel the need or desire to walk away." 
"That why you're going after the 1/4 of a trillion dollars from him and the other tech firms."
"Oh yeah.  You step on so many littles guys, one of em is going to hit back.  And I ain't playing this "penny ante" game the courts seem to think is "fair" compensation that equates to a cup of coffee at their scale.  These companies destroy buisness and lives.  They hit a "competetor" with legal fees beyond their ability pay.  I'm not doing that.  I know they can pay it, they should have been paying it to their workers."  
"So if you shut down meta, what are you going to do with it.  What about the people that work there."
"Already told ya.  2 years to a 1.0 vrc release.  Pretty sure the best and the brightest at those firms would be happy to work for me for a $1.35 million signing bonus."
"So everyone?"
"Well, they have to get through the ladies first.  Prove they weren't part of the culture that companies like Activision and Meta cultivated." 
"And Musk?"
"You mean the shit heel that took billions from the American tax payer to develop a proprietary shit box that is literally glued together?"
"His rockets work."
"Only because NASA wouldn't use them if they didn't.  And last I checked all those designs were lifted from the X-Prize a few decades back.  Pretty sure the Doom guys actually developed the catch/landing system Space X is using."  
"The Tesla isn't so bad." 
"You mean a car so proprietary it can't be maintenanced by the owner and costs about as much as a home and then charging for the use of their power stations after purchasing a proprietary plug?" 
"I mean, you have to have safety standards."
"Yeah, yeah you do.  But when the bill is footed by the American tax payer,  the literal 90% of people to make toys for the 10%.  They're still waiting on their return and I'm going to give it to them." 
"So you're going to do what about it?" 
"Shut down meta, move the people to the VRC project, take over space X, sell Tesla to...I dunno, a company that actually knows about car design....I think there was a company that makes a vehicle called the "Slate"  Be curious what to see what they would do with Tesla's resources because even without them they've probably got the best Electric car design on the market." 
"And if Tesla folds?"
"Brother, Tesla makes their money selling carbon credits not cars and that's fucked.  Robbing Peter to pay Paul." 
"What about Instagram?" 
"The Screen Actors Guild and the other existing Hollywood Unions.  I mean, that's what it's used for anyways, might as well put it in the hands of the professionals that have been forced to make their living there." 
"And facebook?"
"PBS and NPR are going to have to take on that headache, vetted and reliable news, kind of like twitter used to be, emergency alerts, educational content, and mental health resources.  They already have an app that's the perfect model." 
"And the company assets?" 
"As is to those that receive them in the settlement." 
"So where's the money coming from for VRC if you're just going to be passing out these two guys assets like candy?" 
"You mean like busting open a pinata at a birthday party?"
"Oh, that's where their personal fortunes come into play."
"And their offshore assets in countries with non extradition and private banking?"
"I'm not asking the banks to roll over on their clients. I'm just asking them to make sure the assets end up in the coffers when the settlement happens."
"They don't recognize U.S. law in those cases." 
"No, they don't. But they do respect international law and Maritime law.  I'm just claiming salvage rights on accounts that belong to people that frequented the St. James Isles. Pretty sure that list is public and even the worst of the worst criminals don't let those guys last in Gen Pop.  Not asking for disclosures or who's accounts they came from.  No breach of privacy, just the funds transferred back to the people it was stolen from." 
"Kind of seems like you're putting it all in American Hands there bud."  
"Musks stuff sure, because they came from the American Tax payer.  The rest will go back to the international community through the VRC project and aid organizations helping refugees find safe ports to call home." 
"You think those banks will trust you to protect their discretion and handle the funds as you say without scraping off of the top?"
"I do a job, I get paid, I go home.  Simple as that. They know that, everyone I've worked for knows that."
"That fee you talked about?"
"Yep, and like I said I already laid out what I'm going to do with it.  Hell, I'll even keep it at which ever bank decides to funnel all the funds through it." 
"So you've got it all figured out then?"
"Yeah, to the penny." 
"You think your back of napkin math is going to pass muster?" 
"Oh, no. It'll need to be verified of course, but that won't take long.  Just need to know the real total."
"And if it's all in houses, cars, and other stuff?"
"Charity auction.  Who wants a Lambo for $50?  $100 Mansions to become specialized tech and development schools."
"You're joking."
"Nope, Maybe not $50, but sure as shit not going to be gouging people on that stuff."
"And the art?" 
"ooo, sorry Smithsonian, you're going to have to find gallery's and homes for it. Get it back to it's countries of origin if you can."
"You think they have a 1/4 of a trillion dollars in cash assets lying around?"
"Na, but enough to get the VRC project rolling until the auctions settle and hopefully cover the rest."
"And if the auctions don't cover the rest?" 
"Meh, by that point VRC should be up an running on it's own and any excess staff having been able to find work on other projects. That's why the signing bonuses, to make sure they're compensated for the project and have enough to hold them over until their next gig.  You know, like professionals should be treated."
"X?" 
"Back to the original owners hands so they can finish the project they were working on with Bluesky.  Sure it's a money sink right now but if it were cleaned up to the standards it had before the takeover it should at least become viable again, after all Musk just offered the investors/board enough that they wouldn't say no and bullied his way into the sale then tried to back out when he realized he didn't have the ability or intelligence to actually manage it." 
"And you're just going to take over Space X and do what with it."
"Already told ya.  Space shuttles to orbit, retrofitting the ISS for transit and then moving the whole thing in orbit around the moon." 
"Doesn't sound like that's going to make any money."
"Non profit organization.  Staff on salary as outlined by the contract I've been carrying in my bag for the last...10 years and merch to cover operational costs." 
"So you're not going to pay taxes?"
"Hell, if I get my fee for being the intermediary between pirate banks and the American people I'll work there the rest of my life for free doing pretty much exactly what I do now. and for the few minutes it takes for the funds to bounce through my hands and back to those that it belongs to I'll be quite literally the richest person in the world, or history for the past, present, and quite possibly the future." 
"What about the crypto assets, I thought they'd all been moved to that."
"Ah, that's where the Cartels and other groups that will be working for me come in." 
"You think they'll work for you and roll over on their cash cows."
"I think, by and large, they have the same view on pedophiles, slavery, and people that can't be trusted.  That there is honor amongst thieves and I'm not asking where the money came from, just that it arrives." 
"You're not bullet proof you know."
"I know." 
"You think they'll come through?"
"Did they help out during the pandemic?  Will I make sure their people that need to start over have a place to do it?  A place to send their families if they need a way out?"
"If you have their backing you will."
"Exactly.  And if we get this done, the money transfers anyways, before Christmas I don't even have to become President to pull it off and someone more qualified can fight for that headache." 
"Then what do you do?"
"I told you man keep space X on track and travel."
"What about space X after the station is repositioned?"
"You mean Amazon Orbital?"
"Still think Bezo's owes you?" 
"Meh, does or doesn't is irrelevant  at this point. He owes his workers for the empire they built him and that's going to be addressed one way or another."
"And the rest of them?"
"Rest of who?"
"The oligarchs and billionaires?"
"Why do you think I asked Sandra to teach.  There is an army of lawyers out there trained by one of the sharpest legal minds in history.  It was a big ask, but she answered.  I'm just creating the precedent so they can finish the hunt. "
"Like a Lion?"
"I get the first bite, but the pride feeds all the same."
"So the off shore banks and cartels help you with this, what do they get out of it?" 
"The ability to wash their hands of money from slavery and pedophilia and the ability to let those people know they don't have a safe harbor anymore." 
"So if you pull this off you're not going to run for president?"
"Not if I can help it." 
"Thought you've been dreaming of that since you were a kid."
"Na, I dreamed of going to space since I was a kid. Becoming president was just a thought exercise in what I'd do if I got saddled with it."
"So you'd turn it down if people voted for you? Wouldn't put your name on the ballot."  
"I'll honor it if someone else puts my name up for it, do the job if people are crazy enough to vote for me the maybe, actually retire, if I survive it."
"And if you are elected and end up with Space X the way you say?" 
"Donated to NASA, they could use the extra hands and resources." 
"And you wouldn't want anything for it, wouldn't take over after you left office."
"Hell no, If I survive that bullshit I'll be like the David Caridean from Kung-Fu.  Wander the world to learn and study, and help if I can."
"Besides, I would have about $10million in the bank after.  No way in hell I could burn through that much in the time I have left living the way I live." 
"Wouldn't change your life style?" 
"Better computer maybe, visit some places I've never been, but na.  Pretty much the same old same old, Ramen noodles, Diet Dr. Pepper, and the occasional nice meal and new pair of shoes when I wear thru the souls." 
"Simple man."
"It's what keeps me honest." 
"So what's the plan?"
"For now?  I need to grab some more noodles, clean the floors, check the mouse traps and finish writing up the recaps from the last couple of game sessions I've had with the new group." 
"And after?" 
"Back to playing pretend in a virtual landscape and working on my own world design."
"You're insane."
"Nuttier than squirrel poop."