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From Richard Branson to Yuri Milner: Four Influential Leaders’ Visionary Manifestos

August 23, 2024

Science and technology investor Yuri Milner published his Eureka Manifesto in 2021. The short yet profound book contains the billionaire’s perspective on humanity’s place in the Universe and our central role in its future.

Personal manifestos can provide a unique glimpse into the minds of influential leaders, offering insights into their visions, values, and strategies for shaping the future. These documents often serve as blueprints for progress and innovation, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

These are four visionary manifestos by influential leaders:

1. Richard Branson’s Screw It, Let’s Do It

Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group. The global brand’s ventures span travel, telecommunications, health, banking, music, and leisure. Virgin began as a mail-order record retailer in 1970 and grew into Virgin Records, signing iconic artists like the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones.

Many know Branson for his record-breaking adventures, including the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing. He describes Virgin Galactic, soon to be the world’s first commercial spaceline, as “the greatest adventure of all.”

With over 40 million social media followers, Branson regularly blogs on topics from entrepreneurship to environmental issues. He is also a philanthropist, having founded Virgin Unite, the Virgin Group’s non-profit foundation, in 2004. Virgin says the foundation “unites people and entrepreneurial ideas to create opportunities for a better world.”

Branson has written several books, including his first autobiography Losing My Virginity (2009) and the entrepreneurial guide Business Stripped Bare (2008). However, his first-ever book, Screw It, Let’s Do It (2006) is a candid, inspiring manifesto about achieving your goals.

“Screw it, let’s do it,” is one of Branson’s favourite sayings. The book reveals the advice, inspirational adages, and lessons that have helped him through his business and personal life. These lessons include:

Loving what you do.
Having faith in yourself.
Living life to the fullest.
Never giving up.
Believing that anything can be done.

In Screw It, Let’s Do It, Branson emphasises environmental responsibility and outlines Virgin’s future ventures. The business magnate firmly believes that we all have a responsibility to do no harm to each other and the planet.

Branson notes that people will always try to discourage ideas and insist that they can’t be done. His manifesto inspires readers to stay true to their visions, pursuing their goals with passion and purpose.

2. Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything

Naomi Klein is a journalist; social activist; and award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who has written nine critically acclaimed books. She is also a columnist with The Guardian and the Professor of Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia.

Known for her work on climate change and economic inequality, Klein has received multiple honorary degrees and awards. In 2016, she received the Sydney Peace Prize for revealing the root causes of the climate crisis and inspiring global action for a fair, equitable planet. In 2019, The Frederick Douglass 200 honoured her for embodying Douglass’ pioneering spirit.

This Changes Everything (2014) is Klein’s fourth book. An instant New York Times and international bestseller, the book won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Acclaimed novelist Margaret Atwood also chose the book for The Guardian’s Best Books of 2014 list.

This Changes Everything explains why the climate crisis should compel us to reject our modern “free market” ideology. The crisis is an alarm that calls us to restructure the global economy and reform our political systems.

Klein argues that drastically reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is our best chance of building a better world. Along the way, she sheds light on the desperate beliefs of climate-change deniers and the sad defeatism of many mainstream green initiatives.

Klein also exposes the myths surrounding the climate debate: We believe the market will save us, but our addiction to growth and profit worsens the issue. Although we know how to quit fossil fuels, doing so would mean breaking “free-market” rules. This revolution would mean curbing corporate power, rebuilding local economics, and reclaiming democracy.

Ultimately, This Changes Everything emphasises that the fight for the next economy and against reckless extraction is already succeeding in surprising, inspiring ways.

3. Paul Polman’s Net Positive

Paul Polman is a business leader and climate and equalities campaigner. Widely recognised for his advocacy of sustainable business practices, his successful career has included roles at Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever.

During his tenure as CEO of Unilever, Polman proved that responsible business models can enhance financial performance. He and his team helped the company achieve a 290% increase in shareholder returns, top sustainability rankings, and recognition as one of the best places to work. The Financial Times called Polman “a standout CEO of the past decade.”

Polman co-wrote Net Positive (2021) with megatrend expert Andrew Winston. Richard Branson called the book “a wonderful rallying call to business leaders all over the world to step up to the greatest opportunity, and responsibility, of our time.”

Net Positive argues that businesses can lead humanity towards a brighter future by creating more value for society and the environment than they consume. Companies can enhance shareholder returns and drive transformative change on a global scale by:

Prioritising social and environmental impact.
Fostering innovation.
Collaborating across sectors.

Net Positive emphasises the urgent need for sustainable and inclusive growth in the face of existential threats like climate change and inequality. The book provides a roadmap for businesses to thrive through purpose-driven practices.

Through Net Positive, Polman offers hope and practical strategies for a world where business becomes a force for meaningful, positive change. He also reveals key lessons from Unilever and other pioneering businesses about how to profit by solving problems instead of creating them.

4. Yuri Milner’s Eureka Manifesto

Entrepreneur and venture capitalist Yuri Milner is known for his investments in technology companies. He founded DST Global, one of the world’s leading technology investors. The company’s portfolio has included internet giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.

In 2012, Milner joined the Giving Pledge, making a lifelong commitment to science-focused philanthropy. His Breakthrough Foundation supports various non-profit projects, including:

The Breakthrough Prize

Each $3 million prize rewards outstanding achievements in fundamental physics, life sciences, and mathematics. The 2024 Breakthrough Prize laureates include Ellen Sidransky, Thomas Gasser, and Andrew Singleton, who discovered the most common genetic causes of Parkinson’s Disease.

The Breakthrough Initiatives

These research programmes advance our knowledge of life beyond Earth and develop technologies for interstellar travel. Oxford University is the international headquarters for one of the initiatives, Breakthrough Listen, the largest astronomical programme searching for evidence of alien technology.

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge

This global competition encourages students aged 13-18 to create engaging science videos explaining difficult ideas. Each winner receives a post-secondary scholarship worth $250,000. A teacher who inspired them receives $50,000, and their school receives a state-of-the-art science lab.

Yuri Milner’s Vision for Humanity’s Future

Milner’s Eureka Manifesto offers a profound glimpse into his vision for humanity’s future. The manifesto places our civilisation in the context of the evolution of the cosmos and identifies the mission that this Universal Story suggests: to “explore and understand our Universe.”

Milner argues that a shared mission can unite humanity, leading to a better future for all. Our subsequent scientific progress would also help us address many of the largest threats facing us today, from climate change to so-far incurable diseases.

To advance the mission, Milner proposes a five-stage plan that involves sparking a new era of enlightenment. This way, we can all contribute to a future where our civilisation matures and expands beyond Earth.