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The Times Tech Podcast

Sir Richard Branson: "Moon hotels"

Season 2, Ep. 22

The Sunday Times’ tech correspondent Danny Fortson brings on Sir Richard Branson to talk about how he chooses ideas (4:40), investing in Memphis Meats (7:00), bringing billionaires together on Necker Island to invest in startups (8:30), setting up a $2bn fund with TPG (11:45), starting Virgin at 15 (13:00), what works (15:30), why he has backed Hyperloop (18:25), what problem it is solving (20:10), how short haul flights will be hurt by Hyperloop (23:15), why India will start with passengers by 2022 (25:40), the bar at Necker (26:20), why he has spent $1bn on space tourism (27:35), launching the first satellite rocket in September (30:30), and the first commercial space flight this year (31:50), lunar tourism (33:30), the resurgence of vinyl (37:15), whether #metoo has changed how he markets and does business (38:40), why he’s not interested in eternal life (39:50), kite surfing (41:20), and why he hasn't retired (42:45).

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