Unequal

The leading lights of the tech revolution - Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk - have been hailed as savants and saviours of the modern age. And yet they are at the forefront of wealth inequality not seen since the heyday of the robber barons in the late 19th century, part of the slide to the First World War. Today, rampant inequality is inciting social unrest and undermining faith in the institutions of the democratic state. Citizens have been left at the mercy of unfettered capitalism - mere data subjects, endlessly surveilled, marshalled and increasingly angry and polarised. The decoupling of capitalism from democracy has fostered an economic system seemingly powered by greed alone, with the marginalisation of democratic principles facilitating the rise of authoritarians and populists like Putin, Xi Jinping, Trump and Boris Johnson. How has it come to this? And does the unanticipated fightback in Ukraine, with support from the West, show us the way to reclaiming the lost spirit of freedom inherent in liberal democracy? AUTHORS: David Buckham is the founder and CEO of Monocle, a global management consulting firm specialising in banking and insurance. He has diverse experience within banking and financial markets, having guided regulatory implementation in banks around the world for two decades. During the period leading up to the 2007-08 global financial crisis and while it was occurring, he worked in Iceland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Africa and the UK. He has an MA in English literature and writes regularly on the industry. David lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, the most unequal society in the world, though with a global perspective. His first book, The End of Money, co-written with Robyn Wilkinson and Christiaan Straeuli, was published in 2021. Robyn Wilkinson is a professional writer, editor and analyst within the finance industry, with particular expertise in the areas of cryptocurrency, fintech and the history of the global financial system. She has an MA in English literature and writes regularly on the financial industry. She lives in Johannesburg, the main city of the most unequal society in the world, South Africa, but her perspective on inequality is global. Her first book, The End of Money, co-written with David Buckham and Christiaan Straueli, was published in 2021. Christiaan Straeuli is a professional writer, researcher and editor. He specialises in financial and economic research, particularly in the areas of monetary economics, corporate malfeasance and the Chinese banking system. He has an MA in English literature and writes regularly on the industry. He lives in Johannesburg, the main city in the world's most unequal society, but with a global perspective. His first book, The End of Money, co-written with David Buckham and Robyn Wilkinson, was published in 2021.