Fool’s gold: Virgin launches new currency this April, the Branson
SIR Richard is rarely spotted without a toothy grin on his face – and who can blame him? If The Capitalist were the fourth richest person in the UK, we’d be smiling too. And now you can get your hands on some of Sir Richard’s cash, although not from his own $4.2bn pot. Virgin Holidays yesterday unveiled its own currency, the Branson, replete with the tycoon’s beaming face. Available in 10, 20 and 50 notes, the Branson is worth £2 so “you can forget about fluctuating exchange rates.” The Capitalist got very excited about Branson’s latest scheme, but then we noticed that US talk show host Conan O’Brien had bought Mashable for $3,500, despite the $200,000 coming Pete Cashmore’s way from CNN. And when we heard that Google had launched a new app called Jargon Bot which translates business lingo into everyday language (e.g. “I don’t disagree” means “I totally disagree, but you outrank me”), The Capitalist sighed and admitted to ourself that as juicy as these stories sound, they’re probably to be taken with a pinch of April salt. We’re no fool, after all.