In the vast universe of the inexplicable, few things manage to surprise us more than the fact that a man with 500 billion dollars in the bank (it is a say) decides to take a vacation on an island where the main attraction is a volcano that could erupt at any time. And yet there is: Jeff Bezosthe emperor of online trade, the conqueror of the algorithms, the man who made the porteros and transport employees work more than the doctors, navigating the crystalline waters of the Caribbean aboard the Koru, a yach of 500 million dollars That, incidentally, costs more than the GDP of some small nations.
But what does Mr. Bezos do in Montserrat? According to the Prime Minister Reuben Meadethe founder of Amazon is simply a tourist. Which, if they allow me to say it, is the worst excuse since a politician said he had put his hand in the safe “by mistake“.
When a tourist has a larger yacht than the island
Let’s tell the truth: when a tycoon lands in a place like Montserrat, the term “tourist“It becomes suspicious. A German backpack is not the same with a wrinkled travel guide than a billionaire whose shadow weighs more than the Koru anchored in the bay.
Imagine the scene: Bezos Low of the yacht with his usual gaze as a comic villain and observes the island with the same gesture with which a rich child looks at a lemonade post. The premises, of course, are in embers. “Will you come to buy us?“They wonder. “Will it make us a distribution center for drones? Will they make free to Montserrat with Prime?“
Social networks have exploded with theories. Some say Bezos has come to relax. Others, more practical, believe that he has come to buy the island, move it to his house and put it in his garden as an ornament. Or a place for your wedding. And then there are the most fantasy, who assure that the tycoon is there to look for the source of eternal youth.
Personally, I lean on the last option. After all, a man with his bank account has already bought everything that money can acquire, except immortality, and we must admit that lately his shaved head shines more than ever.
A volcano, a tycoon and an insurmountable bureaucracy
Despite the collective paranoia, Prime Minister Meade has come out to calm the masses: “Is found as a tourist“, Repeat with the conviction of a man who does not want his country to be invaded by warehouse robots and scooter distributors. In addition, he has assured that if Bezos wanted to buy something in Montserrat, he would need a special government license.
Ah, the bureaucracy, the only real enemy of billionaires. If a firm on a paper is the only thing that stands between Bezos and the property of half island, then Montserrat can sleep quietly … until Amazon sets a program called Prime Island that delivers government licenses in less than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the people of Montserrat do not waste time and have already begun to suggest to the tycoon some interesting investments. “It could help us modernize the port“Say some.”I could build a hospital“, say others.” It could make our Amazon orders arrive in less than three months, “says the most realistic group.
Of course, all this is speculation. Bezos has not announced anything officially, but, honestly, when a man with his acquisition history comes to a place like Montserrat, the question is not whether he will buy something, but when and how much.
The Koru: More than a yacht, a reminder of global inequality
Meanwhile, the Koru, the floating colossus of Bezos, rests in the bay as a mechanical god of story and peak meters of length, eclipseing any ship that approaches and reminding everyone that some people have houses with engines that cost More than an entire country.
Built in 2021, the Koru is the jewel of the Magnate Crown. While it is a yacht, it could also be described as a floating nation with better economy than some independent states. It has more comfort than a palace, more technology than NASA and, probably, more employees than the Public Administration of Montserrat.
While the waves of the Caribbean lick their helmet, the rumors continue. Will it stay? Will it go? Will a Amazon Go store mount on the beach to sell coconuts without ATMs?
The uncertain future of Bezos in Montserrat
At the moment, Bezos’s visit is still involved in mystery. Maybe, in an unexpected turn, it really has only come to rest. Perhaps he is attracted to tranquility, natural beauty, the opportunity to move away from the chaos of the capitalist world that he helped to create.
Or, perhaps, it is here to buy the island, build a strength and wait for the apocalypse with its fortune intact. And, frankly, if someone can do it, it’s him.
In any case, Montserrat is in the eye of the media hurricane, and its residents do not know whether to feel excited or terrified. Meanwhile, Bezos continues on his yacht, watching the island with the gaze of a man who added a new article to his desire list. And if something has taught us, it is that when Jeff Bezos puts something in his desire list … eventually he buys it.
