EY Y03 L23 Billionaires

  1. Who is the wealthiest person you know? How did they make their money? Are they generous with their wealth?
  2. There are currently around 2,700 billionaires worldwide. Name one who has been in the news recently. How old are they? Which country are they from? How did they become so wealthy?
  3. Why were they in the news?
  4. If you were a billionaire, what do you imagine your life would be like? Where would you live? How would you spend your time? What would you do with your money?
  5. If you were a billionaire, how could you use your money to make your city, country or even the whole world a better place?
  6. Do you think that people with billions of dollars have an obligation to help those less fortunate than themselves, to help better the planet for everyone? Or do you think that billionaires have the right to spend their money as they see fit?

Question 1

The wealthiest person I know is my sister’s friend called Brian Immanuel. He actually became famous after releasing his debut single as the video and lyrics became viral. I’m not sure if he’s generous with his wealth or not, but judging from his personality, he seems to be the kind of person who helps out others.

Question 2

I have been following stories about Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault for quite some time. He turned 72 this year but he still looks fresh and sharp! He’s from France and currently resides in Paris. He’s the chief executive of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennessy), the largest luxury goods company in the world, and has a net worth of over 172 billion dollars.

Question 3

He was in the news after Jeff Bezos stepped down from the role of Amazon’s CEO. At one point, he became the world’s wealthiest person and I can totally understand why considering how obsessed some people are with Louis Vuitton and other luxury good brands.

Question 4

If I were to be a billionaire, I would live country to country pursuing what I love best, learning while traveling. I would be constantly improving myself by hiring more mentors and helping others in need as well. I’d probably buy a private jet and take my family wherever they like to go.

Question 5

The first thing that I would change is the education system. I’d like to reform the outdated education system that Indonesia (and many other countries) still follow. Students learn passively and can’t really think for themselves. I think it will require billions of dollars and overwhelming manpower.

Question 6

I believe that there’s a moral obligation to give back and help others that are less fortunate. We as humans have been able to survive by giving and receiving help from others. I think it’s only natural to continue doing so. On the other hand, billionaires also have worked their way up to where they’re at now so to some extent, they also deserve to spend their money on what they think is best for them.

Tough Vocabulary