The Price of an iPhone

You’re probably reading this on an iPhone. Maybe a MacBook. Perhaps the latest Samsung tablet. Lightning speed fibre or 5G is flying through your device. You can access the whole universe in 2 clicks.

You live in a house. There is a car in your garage. There is a TV in the lounge. You have a fridge packed with food.

You spent 12 years at school. You had access to good teachers. You left with a packed lunch (or tuck money) every day. Your family pushed you to achieve.

You attended a reputable University, built a valuable network, earned a degree and acquired important technical and social skills.

You have a job (you sort of like it, but you sort of don’t). You earn a decent income (you dream of earning 50% more). You have a career path mapped out (soon you will be the boss).

All of this has led you to your house, car, TV and fridge. Your career. Your dreams.

A future.

These advantages. These privileges. These gifts. The 1001 things that have helped you get to here …

You’re luckier than a lot of people. Not everyone has these things.

What is the price of that iPhone in your hands?

Let me tell you: it is what 500 million Africans live on in a year.

Imagine living on $2 a day.

I can ‘t.

That’s a huge price.

I’ve heard we live in a world of equal opportunity. I can’t see it. Can you? Maybe I’m not looking in the right places?

What is the price of this privilege? What is the price of the 1001 things that have helped you get to here …

At ExploreAI we think deeply about these questions. They’re not easy to answer.

This year we’ll teach 25,000 students in partnership with ALX and The Room. Together we’ll try and change things. We’ll find amazing talent and help them succeed. Learners will pay nothing to access life-changing data skills that will transform their lives and the community around them.

If we can succeed with 25,000 learners we can succeed with 250,000 …

It will not be easy. It will probably be close to impossible. But hard things are the best kind of things to work on. It’s what we thrive on here at ExploreAI.

SD

Feb ‘23