Linsey McGoey is a Professor of Sociology specializing in wealth and power dynamics, while Ryan Bourne serves as the Scharf Chair for Public Understanding of Economics. They passionately debate the morality and impact of billionaires on society, examining issues like wealth concentration, innovation, and the potential for wealth tax reforms. The conversation highlights how billionaires influence democracy and philanthropy, as well as the ethical responsibilities that come with immense wealth, challenging listeners to rethink the implications of extreme wealth accumulation.
Reportedly the planet's richest person, multibillionaire Elon Musk is currently seeking to buy the World's online public square, Twitter. Should billionaires be able to buy so much influence? For this week's Sunday Debate we revisit a discussion from 2021 investigating just that, when we invited Professor Linsey McGoey of Essex University and Ryan Bourne of the Cato Institute go head to head on whether society should tolerate the existence of billionaires. The debate was chaired by Economics Editor at BBC Newsnight, Ben Chu.