Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. <\/p>\n
A trillion dollars sounds pretty useful \u2014 until the shipwreck hits. Then suddenly, the bank balance isn’t looking nearly as appetizing as a can of soup. <\/p>\n
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made the point in an interview for the WELT Documentary<\/a> channel in 2022. <\/p>\n “People get confused sometimes,” Musk told Axel Springer CEO Mathias D\u00f6pfner. “They think an economy is money, but money is a database for the exchange of goods and services and for time-shifting the exchange of goods and services,” he continued. “Money is a database. Money does not have power in and of itself.” <\/p>\n Don’t Miss: <\/p>\n Then came the thought experiment that turned a fairly dry discussion about economics into a memorable one. <\/p>\n “You can run the thought experiment: if you are shipwrecked on a remote island and you have a trillion dollars in a Swiss bank account, it’s worthless,” Musk said. “You would rather have a can of soup. You can have all the Bitcoin in the world and you’re still going to starve. The actual economy is goods and services.” <\/p>\n Musk’s point was that money only works because it represents access to things people actually produce and provide. A bank account can show a giant number, but it can’t manufacture food, build shelter or provide medical care when there is nobody around to supply those things.<\/a> <\/p>\n Trending: 40% Of Americans Aren’t Invested In The Stock Market. And Money Isn’t The Only Reason.<\/a> <\/p>\n Musk Sees AI Changing What Money Means <\/p>\n That idea has taken on a different meaning as Musk has increasingly focused on artificial intelligence and robotics. <\/p>\n He has said that AI and robots could eventually produce so many goods and services<\/a> that traditional ideas about money and work could become less important. Musk has also recently suggested that saving for retirement could eventually become irrelevant<\/a> if technology creates an era of extreme abundance. <\/p>\n That future remains a prediction, not today’s economic reality. For now, people still need money to pay for housing, food, healthcare and retirement. <\/p>\n But investors betting on AI don’t necessarily have to pick the company that builds the next blockbuster chatbot. The infrastructure behind AI could offer another way to gain exposure. <\/p>\n See Also: AI Is Writing More Code Than Ever. Now The Industry Is Running Into A New Problem.<\/a> <\/p>\n Different Pieces Of The Boom <\/p>\n Bito<\/a> is building software designed to help AI coding agents understand large, complicated codebases. Its AI Architect maps a company’s software system so coding agents have more context, while its Governor product is designed to route coding tasks to AI models based on the job and cost. The company is currently raising money through Wefunder, with a minimum investment of $1,000. <\/p>\n American PowerGen<\/a> is taking a different route. The company is developing power projects in Texas aimed at meeting the growing electricity needs of data centers and other large users. Its model focuses on securing sites, power connections and natural gas supplies before developing projects that could ultimately be sold or operated. The company is raising capital through Regulation Crowdfunding, with shares available to investors 18 and older. <\/p>\n For investors who believe AI will reshape the economy, those businesses offer a look at two less obvious pieces of the story \u2014 the software helping AI work and the electricity needed to keep it running. <\/p>\n Musk’s soup analogy gets at the same basic idea. The value isn’t really in the number sitting in an account. It’s in what that number can ultimately buy, build or make possible. <\/p>\n Read Next: America Has A Housing Problem. It’s Not Just About Low-Income Housing. A Growing Shortage Is Hitting The Workers Who Keep Communities Running.<\/a> <\/p>\n Building Wealth Across More Than Just The Market <\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry. <\/p>\n EquityMultiple <\/p>\n For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000<\/a>,<\/a> with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process. <\/p>\n Arrived <\/p>\n Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can <\/a>buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100<\/a>. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly. <\/p>\n Skybound Entertainment <\/p>\n Entertainment franchises can become valuable long-term assets when they successfully expand across multiple platforms. <\/a>Skybound Entertainment, the company behind The Walking Dead and Invincible, develops original intellectual property that spans comics, television, film, video games, merchandise, and licensing<\/a>. With more than 250 IPs in its portfolio and a strategy focused on retaining franchise rights while scaling successful stories across media, Skybound offers investors exposure to the growing entertainment and creator economy through a private company rather than traditional public market investments. <\/p>\n American PowerGen <\/p>\n As artificial intelligence drives a surge in electricity demand, reliable power generation is becoming a critical part of the technology ecosystem. <\/a>American PowerGen is developing natural gas-fired power plants in Texas, a fast-growing market fueled by AI data centers, manufacturing expansion, and population growth.<\/a> By advancing projects through permitting, fuel supply, and grid interconnection, the company is positioning itself to help meet rising energy needs while offering investors exposure to the infrastructure supporting the next wave of AI and industrial growth. <\/p>\n Bito <\/p>\n As AI coding tools take on more of the work traditionally done by developers, companies are facing new challenges around code quality, context and the rising cost of AI-powered development. <\/a>Bito is building software designed to help AI coding agents better understand complex codebases while helping companies control AI development costs.<\/a> Founded by former PubMatic executives, Bito has raised more than $10 million from institutional and individual investors and is now raising additional capital through a Wefunder offering, giving investors an opportunity to invest in a company targeting an emerging need within the rapidly expanding AI software market. <\/p>\n DLP Capital <\/p>\n For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and traditional real estate opportunities, DLP Capital provides access to private real estate strategies focused on workforce housing<\/a> \u2014 homes for essential workers such as teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers. With more than $5.5 billion in assets under management and a community of 4,000+ accredited investors, DLP Capital gives investors access to real estate strategies designed around the growing need for housing that working Americans can actually afford. <\/p>\n FarmTogether <\/p>\n Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, <\/a>FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000<\/a> \u2014 fully managed, with no landlord headaches. <\/p>\n Fundrise <\/p>\n Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. <\/a>Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate<\/a> and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth. <\/p>\n This article Elon Musk Says People Get ‘Confused’ Thinking An Economy Is Money \u2014 If You’re Shipwrecked With $1 Trillion In Swiss Bank, Better To ‘Have A Can Of Soup’<\/a> originally appeared on Benzinga.com<\/a> <\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. 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