To understand the economy, you have to understand human nature.

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Before we begin, a quick note that this bonus episode is brought to you in a paid partnership with Wolfgang Digital.

Now, John, one of the strangest things about modern capitalism

is that we all understand how wealth is created, but we rarely ask who gets to keep it.

So think about it. A company starts with 10 people, let's say, in a room. 20 years later,

it employs hundreds. It generates millions and creates enormous value. But when that company

is sold, who actually benefits?

The founders, the investors, are the workers who spent decades building it.

But this is an old Irish dilemma, because for centuries Ireland was a country

where assets were owned by people who lived somewhere else.

The profits left, the ownership left,

and the decisions were made elsewhere. Today we face a modern version of the same issue.

Every week, six Irish businesses are sold into foreign ownership. Now, that's not necessarily a bad

thing, John, right? It's not necessarily a bad thing. A lot, no.

It is a lot.

Because foreign investment has been hugely important for Ireland.

But it does raise a fascinating question.

Can capitalism work without billionaires?

And can workers share more directly in the ownership of the companies that they build?

Today, we're exploring one idea that tries to answer these two questions. And now on the line, to answer that question,

we've got Alan Coleman of Wolfgang Digital. Alan Coleman, I believe it's your birthday,

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