Visionary manifestos from four influential leaders

Science and technology investor Yuri Milner released his Eureka Manifesto in 2021. The short but 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 insight into the minds of influ­ential leaders, providing insight into their vision, 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 from influ­ential leaders:

1. Richard Branson’s Fuck It, Let’s Do It: Life Lessons.
2. Naomi Klein’s This Changes Every­thing: Capitalism vs. Climate.
3. Paul Polman’s Net Positive: How Coura­geous Companies Succeed by Giving More Than They Take.
4. Yuri Milner’s Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilization.

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

Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Group. The global brand’s ventures include travel, telecom­mu­ni­ca­tions, healthcare, banking, music and leisure. Virgin began as a mail order record retailer in 1970 and grew into Virgin Records, which signed famous artists such as the Sex Pistols and the Rolling Stones.

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

With over 40 million social media followers, Branson regularly blogs on topics ranging from entre­pre­neurship to environ­mental issues. He is also a philan­thropist and founded Virgin Unite, the Virgin Group’s chari­table 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 very first book, Screw It, Let’s Do It (2006), is a candid, inspi­ra­tional manifesto about achieving your goals.

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

• I love what you do.
• Have confi­dence in yourself.
• Enjoy life to the fullest.
• Never give up.
• Believing that every­thing is possible.

In “Screw It, Let’s Do It,” Branson empha­sizes environ­mental respon­si­bility and outlines Virgin’s future ventures. The business tycoon firmly believes that we all have a respon­si­bility not to harm each other or the planet.

Branson points out that people always try to discourage ideas and insist that they are unworkable. His manifesto inspires readers to stay true to their vision and pursue their goals with passion and deter­mi­nation.

2. “This Changes Everything” by Naomi Klein

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 for the Guardian and a professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia.

Klein is known for her work on climate change and economic inequality and has received several honorary degrees and awards. In 2016 she received the Sydney Peace Prize for uncov­ering the causes of the climate crisis and inspiring global action for a fair, just planet. In 2019, she was honored by the Frederick Douglass 200 for embodying the pioneering spirit of Douglass.

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

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

Klein argues that dramat­i­cally reducing our green­house gas emissions is our best chance to build a better world. In doing so, she illumi­nates the desperate beliefs of climate change deniers and the sad defeatism of many mainstream green initia­tives.

Klein also debunks the myths surrounding the climate debate: We believe the market will save us, but our addiction to growth and profit makes the problem worse. Although we know how to abandon fossil fuels, doing so would mean breaking the rules of the “free market.” This revolution would mean curbing corporate power, rebuilding local economies and regaining democracy.

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

3. Paul Polman’s Net Positive

Paul Polman is a business leader and climate and equality activist. He is widely known for his advocacy of sustainable business practices and has had a successful career with positions at Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Unilever, among others.

During his tenure as CEO of Unilever, Polman demon­strated that respon­sible business models can improve financial perfor­mance. He and his team helped the company increase share­holder returns by 290%, achieve top sustain­ability ratings and be recog­nized as one of the best employers. The Financial Times called Polman “an outstanding CEO of the last decade.”

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

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

• Prior­i­tizing social and environ­mental impacts.
• Promote innovation.
• Collab­orate across indus­tries.

Net Positive highlights the urgent need for sustainable and inclusive growth in the face of existential threats such as climate change and inequality. The book offers a roadmap for companies that want to succeed through purpose-driven practices.

With Net Positive, Polman offers hope and practical strategies for a world in which companies become a force for meaningful, positive change. He also shares key lessons from Unilever and other pioneering companies about making profits by solving problems rather than creating them.

4. Yuri Milner’s Eureka Manifesto

Entre­pre­neurs and venture capitalists Yuri Milner is known for its invest­ments in technology companies. He founded DST Global, one of the world’s leading technology investors. The company’s portfolio includes Internet giants such as Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.

In 2012, Milner joined the Giving Pledge and became a lifelong commitment to science-based philan­thropy. His Break­through Foundation supports various chari­table projects including:

The breakthrough price

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

The groundbreaking initiatives

These research programs expand our knowledge of life beyond Earth and develop technologies for inter­stellar travel. Oxford University is the inter­na­tional headquarters of one of the initia­tives, Break­through Listen, the largest astronomy program searching for evidence of extrater­res­trial technology.

The groundbreaking Junior Challenge

This global compe­tition encourages students ages 13 to 18 to create engaging science videos that explain difficult ideas. Each winner will receive a post-secondary schol­arship worth $250,000. A teacher who inspired her will receive $50,000 and her school will receive a state-of-the-art science lab.

Yuri Milner’s vision for the future of humanity

Milner’s Eureka Manifesto

offers a profound insight into his vision for the future of humanity. The manifesto places our civilization in the context of the evolution of the cosmos and identifies the mission that this universal story proposes: “to explore and under­stand our universe.”

Milner argues that a shared mission can unite humanity and lead to a better future for all. Our subse­quent scien­tific advances would also help us address many of the biggest threats we face today, from climate change to previ­ously incurable diseases.

To advance the mission, Milner proposes a five-step plan that calls for ushering in a new era of enlight­enment. In this way, we can all contribute to a future in which our civilization matures and expands beyond Earth.