Why R. Buckminster Fuller Predicted Bitcoin

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0:35Well, with the Name Your Price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try it at Progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. This is the Rich Dad Radio Show. the good news and bad news about money. Here's Robert Kiyosaki. Hello, Robert Kiyosaki, the Rich Dad Radio Show, the good news and bad news about money. And today we have a very special guest. He's a longtime friend. I've been following him for so many years. And the reason this is a special program is we have a mentor in common.

1:19I think Max, you're the only guy I know who knows of him. And his name is Dr. R. Buckman Sofola. this is his book here it was signed by fuller it was the book launch in 1981 and um radically changed my life the rich dad company would not be here if i hadn't showed up in 1981 and so i want to more talk to you you know we want to talk about bitcoin but in the context of fuller so before right right well one second let me bring kim and i mean kim this whole The Rich Dad Company is formed because of Fuller, right? With Grunge of Giants and all that? All of it. Grunge of Giants, the heist of the whole school system, of the capital system, the banking system, but also Fuller's generalized principles, of which we studied and which we based our company and companies before this on his principles.

2:14So he's been such an incredible influence. And unfortunately, I never met him because he passed away before I knew of him a year before. But yeah, it's going to be a great show. And I'm really, really looking forward to it. So the reason Max is on, because he's an old friend I just met for the first time. But he's the only guy I know has ever mentioned Fuller. And so that's why I'm very... And you know, Max, I should have bought Bitcoin when you talked about it, but I didn't. I bought some now. So anyway, and what we're going to talk about is Fuller did mention Bitcoin in his predictions. He was a futurist.

2:53He made so many predictions that are now coming true, and Bitcoin was one of them. So Max, old friend, for the first time we meet, welcome to the Rich Dad Show. Yeah, great. I feel richer already. I'm getting richer just sitting here. It's fantastic. Thank you. So yeah, Buckminster Fuller. So that book, Critical Path, came out in 1981. I was then 21. I was just finishing up college and about to enter a career on Wall Street. And, you know, he seemed to me to be commensurate with a lot of the punk thinking at the time. He's a punk scientist and a punk engineer. And what I mean by that is it's all about do it yourself.

3:33Just do it yourself. You don't need outside, you know, legitimacy. You don't need accreditations. You don't need approval. You don't need the status quo. just really think, probe your own mind. And there's so much, so many rich things in your own mind. So two things that really stood out for me. One, of course, you mentioned money and his thoughts about money and thinking about money. The other thing is that his organizing principle or one of his organizing principles, and he gives some anecdotes about his life, about how he decided at one point that he would not do anything unless it benefited humanity as a whole amen right and so this is a really phenomenal way to think you know then he went on to do things like the geodesic dome and other designs the electric car which we had that principle in mind that he's going to do things to help humanity uh and that is and he's a designer so his design uh parameters were does does this help humanity?

4:37And so this is very interesting. It goes against a lot of the ethos of what we look at, particularly in economics and finance, where it's all about individual and it's all, you know, the economics of neoclassical economics of Adam Smith and about the invisible hand, and everyone is pursuing their own individual interest to result in the greater good of prices for everybody. the work of Ayn Rand is often quoted which is it echoes this sensibility in a big way you know and clearly Buckminster Fuller had a completely different way of looking at things and any but it wasn't political it was from an engineering perspective and from a humanist perspective and more of a more like a renaissance perspective I think you could say he was a renaissance man in the truest sense of the word, in that he was ushering in really the internet age.

5:36And we could talk about Bitcoin, how it relates to that. So it had an impact on me. I started on Wall Street, and Wall Street at that time was a very creative period in Wall Street's history, because the age of discount stock brokering had just started with Charles Schwab. And so a lot of the Wall Street banks felt threatened. And they got into some very creative thinking, how to package products, package new products. This is the age of Michael Milken, the leverage buyout, which was a very creative way to use debt to acquire companies and things like that. And so that's how I spent my 20s. And I always had in the back of my mind this idea.

6:15And I was also, up until Wall Street, I was at my university, New York University. I spent most of my time at the radio station as a disc jockey and hung out at the clubs like CBGBs, Maxis, Kansas City, and was really following punk scene in a big way. And so I transitioned right to Wall Street. And kind of like Buckminster Fuller was my bridge to that, that way of thinking. And so this got me thinking about money, finance and markets in a way that I saw them as plastic and very malleable as a medium, not as anything that was hard coded, but something that was you could express. You could enjoy some self-expression, actually.

7:02This ultimately led to me creating the Hollywood Stock Exchange in the 1990s, which is kind of an attempt to bridge money in Wall Street with self-expression. so that was a whole different chapter but that again was related I think to Buckminster Fuller but getting to Bucky's design concepts of money you know it's it's it's this whole idea of money let's look at money from a design perspective and best practices for from design and take it away from politicians and take it away from bankers you know if you're an engineer and a designer how would you approach money and i think that's that's the path he set us on uh to be fair henry ford made similar comments back in the 1920s uh talking about energy money and things like that so those are the two you know antecedents i would say thinking philosophical wise where we can get into the the bitcoin's design but but his separation of of of uh the state and politicians for money and to take it from a design perspective and to have his attitude which again has that that punk sensibility of essentially um just you know do it just do it you know you don't need well what he system max what what he said because i was in rock and roll in 1981 i was working with my first date with kim was to the police and van halen boy george and all that so i just love the music scene.

8:33But I want to ask Kim, because she never met, but when I met Kim, this is the sequence, was 81 was Critical Path. I started with Fuller, 81, 82, 83. And then two weeks later, after the summer of 83, he passed away. And that's when his book, Grunge of Giants, came up. And it was basically about the people that run beyond the Fed. And so when I met Kim, Fuller hit me right in the brain. I said, I will never work for money again. I'll work for humanity. And that's when I got out of rock and roll. So Kim, that's when I met Kim right after Fuller passed away. So Kim, what was your understanding of what was happening?

9:16Well, I remember, you know, you were in rock and roll and you love rock and roll and you love that business, but you were kind of at, you were torn. You were conflicted inside because you were studying this guy Fuller and Fuller said to you, you know, what do you do for a living? And you said, I make money. And he said, what a waste of a great mind. And we've always, you know, since meeting you, Robert, is how I got to know Bucky. And one of the lines that he said that we've always operated by is the more people we serve, the more effective we become. And that's always a principle that's guided us.

9:54So we've never done it for money. That was never been the initial goal. The initial goal is how do you serve more people more effectively? But that's always, and then once you left rock and roll, then you were kind of set free. Right. So, Max, this is where you fed in, okay? So 81, I studied with him, 82, 83, bunch of giants comes out and I'm reading Fuller's predictions because he died in 83. And one of his predictions was he predicted the internet which would come out prior to 1990. He said there'd be a new technology entering planet Earth prior to the end of the decade. So that was 1989, 1989, the web came up.

10:35Then he also said computers will make it practical. This is a direct quote. The electronify wealth distribution that accomplish the movements of goods and service that is more channeled design structures. Not big brother though, since no central planning authority. So that's that whole thing. And so when I saw your patent, this is my question, Max. Are you Satoshi?

11:08Oh man, you got me. Because you were tuned in too. You got me red-handed.

11:20I should have listened to you when I first came across you, but I didn't understand it at the time. Yeah, well, I mean, he also said things like he talked about a synchronous database, synchronizing things around the world. You know, I personally, there's an overlap for me between Buckminster Fuller and this idea of synchronous databases and global money and the work of Carl Jung, you know, who I follow pretty closely as well in terms of his ideas about synchronicity and the collective unconscious. And I think that Bitcoin. Max, you dodged my question. You didn't say yes or no. Satoshi. All will be revealed.

11:57You know, it's all. Everything is revealed at the time. It should be revealed. You know, you can't let. things happen out of the timeline that they should happen, right? You were tuned in. I mean, my God, I was tuned into something else, but you were tuned into this whole cryptocurrency. Well, I do have a patent on a virtual currency that's from 1996. So the Kaiser patent, US patent 5950176. It's a virtual specialist patent, how to trade virtual currencies, virtual securities, with a virtual currency. And so that's what I patented. So when I heard about Bitcoin in 2011, it was a leap beyond what I was thinking about because all the virtual currencies and digital currencies up until then were centralized to some degree.

12:55All market making, all federal banks, all political considerations regarding money are all centralized. So the thing about Bitcoin that breaks it from everything else is that it's decentralized. And how do you create that decentralized network? And I think it's interesting because, again, getting back to Buckminster Fuller, you know, a lot of his writings, from you look through a political lens, you would say this is not capitalism. This is something else. This is maybe the opposite of capitalism. And yet the result is our tools that enable those who could call themselves capitalists to do fantastic work as capitalists.

13:34But, you know, there are a lot of elements to this post-Internet age. Like we have the free open source software movement. We have Linux, which is free, essentially free software. You have Richard Stallman was big and his idea of free unlicensed software. or the Lawrence Lessig's work with the Creative Commons license, which is outside of the trademark and patent system. And during the early part of the Internet age, there was this tremendous, and you would appreciate this, and you were there as well, you had the work of those who considered the Internet to be really a revisitation of the 1960s and the free love movement And those who were taking drugs and hallucinating, Timothy Leary and those folks, there was a moment in the Internet's history before it became completely corporatized where there was this feeling of freedom of expression that was going to be this huge movement.

14:37And our friend who wrote the Declaration of Independence for the Internet, yeah, John Perry Barlow, he was incredibly huge at that time. And then the Internet became completely corporatized. And it wasn't until Bitcoin came around that we had a new chapter in this idea of distribution and decentralization and individual empowerment and individual journeys. And I always compare Bitcoin to shamanism and kind of spiritualism and things like this, where people have the freedom to delve into their own spiritual journeys because they have unconfiscatable money that's never debasing in value. So they have no worries.

15:21In other words, you achieve individual sovereignty and you can just pursue spirituality. And I think that's where Bitcoin is heading. I think everyone ultimately achieves individual sovereignty. The whole idea of wealth changes dramatically itself. I mean, this would be a Buckminster Fuller idea, that his idea of wealth was very, very radically different than what most people consider to be wealth. So if you take that and Bitcoin is the coin of his thinking, and then what do you have? If you had everyone thinking like Buckminster Fuller, the world would be in a dramatically and drastically different place.

15:54And with Bitcoin, we can get to that place and we are getting to that place. And it is happening right now, Robert. Right. So I'm going to ask Kim because when I met, so Fuller dies in 83. He writes Grunge of Giants, gross universal cash ice. And now we have repo, reverse repo, and all this stuff going on. We have, what,$120 billion a month being pumped into to keep that balloon afloat of fake money. We're paying people not to work. But when I met Kim in 83, I started talking to her about this. and then she told her mother and father she quit her job and we moved to follow the teachings of Buckminster Fuller.

16:33Kim, what was that like talking to your parents about this nutcase called Kiyosaki? All I remember was a phone call and all I remember is I said, hey, I met this guy, I've quit my job. I was in advertising at the time and we're selling what we have and we're moving to California. And the only words I heard from my father was, you quit your job. And it was because he worked all his life as an employee and working your way up the corporate ladder, which would have been a disaster for me, is what he saw in me, my future being. So, Bucky definitely changed the course of my life via you, Robert. So, it was, and we've never looked back.

17:17You know, there's another principle that he talked about that is kind of the basis of the Rich Dad Company as well. And the words are strange because he uses a lot of different words, but it was called angular redundancy. And it was basically, and we've done this ever since we've met Robert, it's basically what in the world needs to be done that nobody else is doing that you can do called angular redundancy. Like we don't need another gas powered car. We got enough of those, but what in the world needs to be done that no one is doing and you go and do it. So that's kind of how we've built the Rich Dad Company and how we've lived our lives.

17:51So again, I love Bucky's principles. They, I mean, generalized principle is a principle that's true in all cases, like gravity. And they work and they really work if you stick to them. And I don't know anybody that's ever applied Bucky's principles to business. And we did. Yep. And so did Max. So we come back, we may take a few minute break here, but I really want to thank you, Max. Like I said, you're an old friend I just met. and the main reason I called you is when every time you mentioned Bucky Fuller I said this guy's a whack job like me apparently and I really do suspect you're Satoshi so we come back we'll be talking more to Max Kaiser I noticed you never deny it I think that's funny but anyway we come back we'll be talking more about Buckminster Fuller the future and some of his predictions because the critical path here this book here which was signed by Fuller I took it out to hang a poster of, you know, one of my most favorite books here.

18:50That was 1981. But it's a critical path is what path is humanity on? And that's why Kim and I quit our jobs and all this. I got out of rock and roll. And I said, what does God want done? So we come back. We're talking more with Max Keiser and the future of money. We'll be right back.

19:36We'll be right back. 7th at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. Prep for a busy week with Whole Foods Market. Start your day with fully cooked breakfast sausages from Amy Liu, 365 brand frozen waffles with no bleached flours, and of course Whole Foods Market eggs, which are all cage-free or better. In the evening, bring home a build-your-own family meal that feeds four for just$35. Choose one entree and two sides. Shop smarter, not harder at Whole Foods Market. Welcome back. Robert K. Suckett, the Rich Dad Radio Show, the good news and bad news about money. Today we have a very, very special guest.

20:14Like I said, an old friend I followed for years. We just met him for the first time just now. And we got a little plug here. You can listen to the Rich Dad Radio Show anytime, anywhere, on Android and YouTube and all that stuff. And all of our programs are archived because we share it. We don't pitch anything. We don't sell anything. we just educate and you can go to richdadradio.com listen to this program again share with friends, family and business associates and discuss and you will learn twice as much by the discussion listen to it again so our special guest today is Max Kaiser and he's the only guy I know over all these years of listening he ever mentioned this guy Dr.

20:51R. Buckminster Fuller and I you know Fuller really changed my life it changed Kim's life and he predicted Bitcoin He predicted YouTube. He predicted the internet because he was a futurist. But Critical Path here is an important book, Max, today because it's pretty precarious today. I'll give you an interesting exercise you can do, Robert, is that I have that book. I think I had to buy that book four or five times because you move and you lose stuff. And I'm like, where's my critical path? I think I'm up to my fifth copy. But it actually also works as a book of prophecy, like you might use the I Ching.

21:31You know, with the I Ching, you can construct a mandala or a six-sided symbol, and then you consult the book, and it gives you prophetic insights into your future. And there's a whole Asian and Eastern kind of philosophy around this that's alien to most Western thoughts. but anyway there it is so with the critical path uh you can randomly open the book to any page and put your finger down and read what's on there and it works just like the e-cheng it's a book of prophecy into your personal journey as well that that's the that's the amazing thing about the book and it people who read it for the first time they say you know this is this is actually a hard book to read because he does use his phrases like angular redundancy right so he makes up phrases or he creates phrases.

22:18He neologistically, you know, he creates these interesting phrases all the time and it's completely alien to your ears. And you're like, where am I? What's going on? Why is this man saying this? Right? So because he's taking you, he's breaking up your conscious thinking and he's probing you. And so you're bringing stuff out. And so that's the stuff you need to look at to know who you are. And therefore, where are you going? Okay. So Max is saying he was critical path of humanity. And then he came out with Grunge of Giants, which was the Fed or beyond the Fed. Grunge was the people that controlled the Fed.

22:53And here we are today. He predicted Bitcoin. He predicted YouTube. And so I want to ask Kim any comments on that because why we started the company was to not be a victim of the future. He said, you know, we are to be the architects of the future, not as victims. And so with that, we formed the rich dad company to do what God wanted done, which is educate. Yes. And so my question, that's a great, a great line, because we're designed to be architects of the future, not victims. And so my question to Max is how do we, from where we are today, become and be those architects of the future? Because the future is looking rather chaotic.

23:39Well, I'll tell you, one thing anyone and everyone can do is to find a soulmate. Fall in love. And being in a marriage and being in love is one of the most rewarding things anyone can do. And it tells you about yourself in a way that you can never find out any other way. And that is part of going into the future. So, for a lot of people out there who are not with a significant other, and they're having trouble finding a significant other, then the way to do that is to simply make yourself attractive. And you make yourself attractive by cutting out all of the shit habits that you might be involved with and just doing good habits and taking care of yourself, and you will find a partner.

24:27And once you find a partner, you're ready for life. That was not the answer I was expecting.

24:36I was thinking Bitcoin, economy, money, the Fed. Well, I think everybody is looking for the magic key, but the magic key is already we know from as humans what the magic key is. The magic key is love. And the way to express love is with another human being. And so partner up and go forward. into this mysterious cosmic voyage on spaceship earth. So, you know, when I'm, as I said, 83, Fuller passed away in 84. Was 84 a kid we meet? 84. 84. 84. And it was only because I said, I'm not going to be on rock and roll anymore. I'm not going to work for money. See, 1927, Fuller stopped working for money.

25:29And he said, I would only do what God wants done. And so I said, well, if it worked for him, He called it Guinea Pig B. I think I'll try that too. And I met Kim. And she says, well, let's try it. And we stopped working for money back in 1984. It's been one hell of a ride, huh, Kim? It's been a hell of a ride. But magic happens when you commit to things like that. Yeah. Well, he had an amazing confidence in himself as an engineer. And so he had a vision. And that vision was engineering things like geodesic dome and other things that would be good for humanity. And we have somebody else in our midst these days, like an Elon Musk, who has incredible confidence as an engineer, who is putting out things that are incredible products and scientific products and engineering products.

26:21And he's taken everybody on a bit of a journey. And he tries to articulate that journey in his own way. He's not a Buckminster Fuller, you know, he would never write a book like Critical Path. But he is somebody who I think we can look to as similar in, to some degree, because he's somebody who has that confidence in themselves. Steve Jobs is also somebody who had the confidence as an engineer, as somebody who felt that they could architect the future and future-proof themselves. You know, then is that a gift? Is that, can you learn that? Where does that come from? I think in Buckminster Fuller's case, he felt it was below the surface and he needed to reach in to grab that.

27:03And the only way he could do it was to make that statement, I'm not going to work for money. Because if you're working for money, it is a very short circuiting loop of the incentives are terrible. And you end up digging a personal and spiritual hole that you fall into. And so that's why a lot of people that I know and you know, and we've dealt with a lot of rich people throughout our careers. And many times rich people are miserable, you know, because they never really are on a journey of self discovery. And as a result, they are not miserable. Conversely, I've met many people all over the world who have maybe$5 to their name who couldn't be happier because they are completely comfortable with themselves and they're completely comfortable with the world.

27:51And that to them is infinite riches and when you say you know you could be as a gazillionaire they're like i am already i i am of planet earth i'm already a gazillionaire you know i don't need anymore i am with earth i am part of earth you know uh we and you see this all over the world robert and and so this money is not the is not the difference well that's so that's why he wrote grunge of giants and that's why bitcoin and that's why he started saying with Bitcoin because it was decentralized money, DeFi. So he was way ahead of his times right there. And look at this, this is in Critical Path.

28:28The chapter is, he said there was 4 billion billionaires today at 7.8 billion. But it says because we use the wrong cosmic accounting systems and Rich Dad Porter is a book on accounting. So anyway, he was so far ahead. And again, that's why Kim and I started this business. it was to do what we thought God wanted done, which was to educate and purely so. And you're in the same business. So let me just say this much real quickly. Fuller said something, cause it's about critical path. And in 1981, I'm sitting, there's about a hundred people. This is Corkwood, California, we're in the shores of Lake Tahoe.