The Rise of the Power Vegans: Steve Wynn, Russell Simmons, Bill Clinton and a comparable cast of heavies are now using tempeh to assert their superiority.

So begins a new article in Bloomberg Businessweek. What!?! What’s going on here? The article continues:

It used to be easy for moguls to flaunt their power. All they had to do was renovate the chalet in St. Moritz, buy the latest Gulfstream jet, lay off 5,000 employees, or marry a much younger Asian woman. By now, though, they’ve used up all the easy ways to distinguish themselves from the rest of us—which may be why a growing number of America’s most powerful bosses have become vegan. [...]

It shouldn’t be surprising that so many CEOs are shunning meat, dairy, and eggs: It’s an exclusive club. Only 1 percent of the U.S. population is vegan, partly because veganism isn’t cheap

Guess they haven’t read my article “Save Animals, Save Money” or recognized the simple fact that plant protein is usually less expensive than animal protein. Besides, Is Producing Cheap Food Our Only Goal?

But Steve Wynn explains how veganism is saving him money. He gave out 10,000 copies of a vegan-making film, Eating, one for each of his employees and said, “If I can keep them healthier, I’m acting like a smart businessman.”

The article even concludes that the health benefits of veganism are entirely rational and particularly appealing to anyone who has the opportunity to truly enjoy all that life has to offer:

And herein lies veganism’s appeal to moguls: It affords them the opportunity to control their own health with the same manic id with which they control everything else. Wynn says his new diet has allowed him to get off Lipitor. Clinton‘s diet made him a fashion darling at his daughter’s wedding this summer.[...] This latest show of power, in other words, gives them all the more time to enjoy the Swiss chalet and the private jet.

But it’s not all about health:

For others, veganism is a moral imperative. In 2000, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone went to visit Farm Sanctuary, an animal rescue organization with a location in upstate New York, and returned a vegan.

And you might not even notice all the vegans unless you’re really looking for them. The article explains that some vegans “stay in the closet” about it until wealth and power draw them out:

[Tom Anderson, a former partner at McKinsey and CEO of Upromise] kept his veganism quiet for fear it would make him seem like a hippie. However, as he’s climbed the corporate ladder, he’s become increasingly eager to share the gospel of his eating ethics.

So don’t assume that the only vegans are the ones who shout it from the rooftops. Truth is, vegans are EVERYWHERE! It’s no surprise that some vegans happen to be billionaires!

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Sections: Vegan News
Topics: bill clinton, billionaire, boss, businessweek, celebrity, elite, ethics, health, news, powerful, rich, Russell Simmons, steve wynn, strong, veg, Vegan