This is a staggering amount of money, and the way this takeover has panned out, one is forced to think what all could have been done if the same intention was shown towards other causes. It can’t be difficult to figure that out for someone like a Musk or a Bezos. One of them sent a Tesla to space for God’s sake and the other, himself. 

People hate to admit this, but it does come down to priorities in the end. Yes, it’s not realistic to shut an entire industry and put all the money into causes but if one of us has nothing to eat throughout the day while another person is exploring space just because he can, there is an ugly discrepancy that needs to be fixed.

Here are things that could have been done with $44 billion but Twitter ownership proved to be more important.

1. Considerably reduce world hunger.

An estimate has shown that we will need $330 billion to end world hunger by 2030. That means we have 8 years to reach that target. Now, $44 billion doesn’t come very close to the amount but it is also not nothing. It could have been a huge step in making sure that at least a fraction of people, if not all get meals for the foreseeable future. 

2. Reduce climate change, and end it eventually.

The money required to bring stop climate change and potentially end it in 20 years is $300 billion over the course of 20 years. $44 billion would have been of great help in kickstarting this program that maybe, just maybe, could have created a better world for our future generations.

3. Build around 5 lakh specialty hospitals in any country with a currency value similar to India’s.

Taking India as an example here because we are a third-world country, with far inferior medical facilities to most Western nations. Any country with the value of money could have had 5 lakh brilliant hospitals at its disposal with this much money. It would be unfair to give all hospitals to just one nation so these could have been distributed – something that would have made a great impact. 

4. End of illiteracy in 20 countries with the lowest literacy rates and E-9 nations.

That will require $14 billion, so he’d still have $30 billion left. This was an estimate made by UNESCO in 2019. I’d say it’s a pretty legitimate cause to get behind. If we are all about securing the future of humanity, this is possibly the best way to do it.

5. Educating refugee children so that they have a chance at a better future.

A pre-covid, World Bank estimate suggested that it will require us $4.85 billion for global education of inclusive refugee education. So, Musk could put the money he spent on buying Twitter into ending world illiteracy almost entirely. Pretty insane to think about it, yes?

6. End homelessness in the US. 

A 2021 research suggested that $20 billion could end homelessness in America and while the claim was countered, the actual amount could not be more than twice the estimate (hopefully). In any case, $44 billion would make a HUGE dent, if not solve the problem altogether. This money, spread across continents, could give a house to so many people. 

We’re not trying to say that a platform like Twitter does not hold any importance, but its significance cannot be more than feeding people. And in any case, it’s good to constantly question capitalism and remind ourselves that the money used to make our lives better could be put into making someone else’s life livable.