Life at 30,000 feet | Richard Branson

Traducător: Anca Haraga Corector: Miruna Grigorescu

Chris Anderson: Welcome to TED.

Chris Anderson: Bine ai venit la TED.

Richard Branson: Thank you very much. The first TED has been great.

Richard Branson: Multumesc mult. Primul TED a fost grozav.

CA: Have you met anyone interesting?

CA: Te-ai intalnit cu cineva interesant?

RB: Well, the nice thing about TED is everybody's interesting.

RB: Ei bine, ceea ce e cel mai dragut lucru la TED e ca toti sunt interesanti.

I was very glad to see Goldie Hawn,

M-am bucurat sa o vad pe Goldie Hawn,

because I had an apology to make to her.

pentru ca a trebuit sa-mi cer scuze de la ea.

I'd had dinner with her about two years ago and I'd --

Am luat cina cu ea acum doi ani si

she had this big wedding ring and I put it on my finger and I couldn't get it off.

ea avea o verigheta mare si am pus-o pe degetul meu si n-o mai puteam scoate.

And I went home to my wife that night

Si am mers la sotia mea in acea noapte

and she wanted to know why I had another woman's big,

si a vrut sa stie de ce am pe deget verigheta

massive, big wedding ring on my finger.

aceea mare, masiva, a altei femei pe deget.

And, anyway, the next morning we had to go along to the jeweler

Si, oricum, dimineata urmatoare a trebuit sa mergem impreuna la bijutier

and get it cut off.

si sa-o taiem

So -- (Laughter) --

Deci, (rasete)

so apologies to Goldie.

scuze lui Goldie.

CA: That's pretty good.

CA: Asta e destul de bine.

So, we're going to put up some slides

Deci urmeaza sa aratam cateva slide-uri

of some of your companies here.

cu una din - cateva din companiile tale.

You've started one or two in your time.

Ai infiintat una sau doua pe vremea ta.

So, you know, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records --

Stii tu, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records -

I guess it all started with a magazine called Student.

Presupun ca totul a inceput cu revista numita Student

And then, yes, all these other ones as well. I mean, how do you do this?

Si dupa aceea, da, si toate celelalte. Cu alte cuvinte, cum faci asta?

RB: I read all these sort of TED instructions:

RB: Citesc toate tipurile de instructiuni TED♪

you must not talk about your own business, and this,

nu trebuie sa vorbesti despre afacerile tale

and now you ask me.

si acum tu ma intrebi pe mine.

So I suppose you're not going to be able to kick me off the stage,

Deci presupun ca nu vei avea voie sa ma dai afara de pe scena

since you asked the question.

din moment ce tu ai intrebat asta.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: It depends what the answer is though.

CA:Depinde de raspuns, totusi.

RB: No, I mean, I think I learned early on that if you can run one company,

RB: Nu, vreau sa spun, cred ca am invatat de devreme ca daca poti conduce o companie,

you can really run any companies.

poti conduce orice companie.

I mean, companies are all about finding the right people,

Companiile inseamna gasirea oamenilor potriviti,

inspiring those people, you know, drawing out the best in people.

inspirarea acelor oameni, stii, descoperirea potentialului maxim din oameni

And I just love learning and I'm incredibly inquisitive

si imi place mult sa invat si sunt extrem de curios

and I love taking on, you know, the status quo

si imi place sa iau, stii tu, status quo-ul

and trying to turn it upside down.

si sa incerc sa-l intorc pe dos.

So I've seen life as one long learning process.

Deci am vazut viata ca un proces indelungat de invatare.

And if I see -- you know, if I fly on somebody else's airline

Si daca vad - stii tu, daca zbor cu compania aeriana a altcuiva

and find the experience is not a pleasant one, which it wasn't,

si cred ca experienta nu e una placuta, ceea ce nu era cu

21 years ago, then I'd think, well, you know, maybe I can create

21 de ani in urma, atunci m-as gandi, ei bine, stii, poate pot crea

the kind of airline that I'd like to fly on.

tipul de companie aeriana cu care as vrea sa zbor.

And so, you know, so got one secondhand 747 from Boeing and gave it a go.

Si astfel, stii, am obtinut un 747 secondhand de la Boeing si am incercat.

CA: Well, that was a bizarre thing,

CA: Ei bine, acela a fost un lucru bizar,

because you made this move that a lot of people advised you was crazy.

pentru ca ai facut miscarea aceasta despre care foarte mult oameni au spus ca e nebuneasca.

And in fact, in a way, it almost took down your empire at one point.

Si de fapt, intr-un fel, aproape ti-a doborat imperiul la un moment dat.

I had a conversation with one of the investment bankers who,

Am avut o conversatie cu unul dintre bancherii investitori care,

at the time when you basically sold Virgin Records

in momentul in care tu practic ai vandut Virgin Records

and invested heavily in Virgin Atlantic,

si ai investit masiv in Virgin Atlantic,

and his view was that you were trading, you know,

si punctul lui de vedere era ca dadeai, stii,

the world's fourth biggest record company

a patra cea mai mare casa de discuri din lume

for the twenty-fifth biggest airline and that you were out of your mind.

pe a douazecisicincea companie aeriana si ca erai sarit de pe fix.

Why did you do that?

De ce ai facut asta?

RB: Well, I think that there's a very thin dividing line between success and failure.

Ei bine, cred ca exista o linie foarte fina intre succes si esec.

And I think if you start a business without financial backing,

Si cred ca daca incepi o afacere fara suport financiar,

you're likely to go the wrong side of that dividing line.

e foarte probabil sa treci de partea gresita a liniei de separatie.

We had -- we were being attacked by British Airways.

Fusesem - eram atacati de British Airways;

They were trying to put our airline out of business,

au incercat sa ne falimenteze compania aeriana,

and they launched what's become known as the dirty tricks campaign.

asa ca au lansat ceea ce e cunoscut ca fiind campania siretlicurilor murdare.

And I realized that the whole empire was likely to come crashing down

Si am realizat ca intregul impreiu se putea prabusi

unless I chipped in a chip.

cu exceptia cazului in care nu scot asul din maneca.

And in order to protect the jobs of the people who worked for the airline,

Si pentru a proteja slujbele oamenilor care lucrau pentru compania aeriana,

and protect the jobs of the people who worked for the record company,

si a proteja slujbele oamenilor care lucrasera pentru casa de discuri,

I had to sell the family jewelry to protect the airline.

a trebuit sa vand bijuteria coroanei pentru a proteja compania aeriana.

CA: Post-Napster, you're looking like a bit of a genius, actually,

Dupa Napster, parea ca esti un fel de geniu de fapt

for that as well.

si din cauza asta.

RB: Yeah, as it turned out, it proved to be the right move.

Mda, s-a dovedit a fi miscarea potrivita.

But, yeah, it was sad at the time, but we moved on.

Dar da, a fost trist atunci, dar am mers mai departe.

CA: Now, you use the Virgin brand a lot

Acum folosesti brandul Virgin foarte mult

and it seems like you're getting synergy from one thing to the other.

si se pare ca transferi sinergia de la un lucru la altul.

What does the brand stand for in your head?

Ce inseamna brandul in mintea ta?

RB: Well, I like to think it stands for quality,

Ei bine, imi place sa cred ca simbolizeaza calitate,

that you know, if somebody comes across a Virgin company, they --

ca stii, daca cineva da peste o companie Virgin ei -

CA: They are quality, Richard. Come on now, everyone says quality. Spirit?

Ei sunt calitatea, Richard, hai ca toti spun calitate - spiritul?

RB: No, but I was going to move on this.

Nu, dar vroiam sa discut in continuare despre asta.

We have a lot of fun and I think the people who work for it enjoy it.

Ne distram foarte mult si cred ca oamenii care lucreaza pentru ea se simt bine.

As I say, we go in and shake up other industries,

Noi, noi cum spun eu, noi mergem si schimbam radical celelalte industrii

and I think, you know, we do it differently

si cred ca noi facem totul diferit

and I think that industries are not quite the same

si cred ca acele industrii nu raman la fel

as a result of Virgin attacking the market.

ca urmare a atacarii pietei de catre Virgin.

CA: I mean, there are a few launches you've done

Adica, sunt cateva lansari pe care le-ai facut

where the brand maybe hasn't worked quite as well.

unde brandul poate nu a fost lucrat atat de bine.

I mean, Virgin Brides -- what happened there?

Adica, Virgin Brides (Mirese) - ce s-a intamplat acolo?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: We couldn't find any customers.

Nu am putut gasi niciun client.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

(Applause)

(Aplauze)

CA: I was actually also curious why --

Eram chiar curios de ce

I think you missed an opportunity with your condoms launch. You called it Mates.

Cred ca ai ratat o oportunitate cu lansarea prezervativelor - le-ai numit Mates (amicii).

I mean, couldn't you have used the Virgin brand for that as well?

Adica, n-ati fi putut folosi brandul Virgin de asemenea?

Ain't virgin no longer, or something.

Nu mai e virgina de acum sau ceva de genul.

RB: Again, we may have had problems finding customers.

Din nou, era posibil sa avem probleme in gasirea clientilor.

I mean, we had -- often, when you launch a company and you get customer complaints,

Adica, am avut - adeseori cand lansezi o companie si primesti plangeri de la clienti,

you know, you can deal with them.

stii, poti sa te confrunti cu ele.

But about three months after the launch of the condom company,

Dar cam la trei luni dupa lansarea companiei de prezervative

I had a letter, a complaint,

am primit o scrisoare, o plangere,

and I sat down and wrote a long letter back to this lady apologizing profusely.

si m-am asezat si am scris o scrisoare lunga de raspuns acestei doamne, cerandu-mi scuze sincere.

But obviously, there wasn't a lot I could do about it.

Dar evident nu era mare lucru pe care il mai puteam face.

And then six months later, or nine months after the problem had taken,

Si apoi, sase luni mai tarziu, sau noua dupa ce problema a aparut,

I got this delightful letter with a picture of the baby

am primit aceasta minunata scrisoare cu poza unui bebelus

asking if I'd be godfather, which I became.

intrebandu-ma daca nu as vrea sa-i fiu nas, ceea ce am si devenit.

So, it all worked out well.

Deci totul a iesit chiar bine.

CA: Really? You should have brought a picture. That's wonderful.

Chiar? Ar fi trebuit sa aduci o poza. Asta e extraordinar.

RB: I should have.

Ar fi trebuit.

CA: So, just help us with some of the numbers.

Deci ajuta-ne cu niste cifre.

I mean, what are the numbers on this?

Adica, despre ce cifre e vorba aici?

I mean, how big is the group overall?

Cu alte cuvinte, cat e de mare grupul per total?

How much -- what's the total revenue?

Cat de mult - care e venitul total?

RB: It's about 25 billion dollars now, in total.

E de aproximativ 25 de miliarde de dolari acum in total.

CA: And how many employees?

Si cati angajati?

RB: About 55,000.

Aproximativ 55.000.

CA: So, you've been photographed in various ways at various times

Deci ai fost fotografiat in diferite moduri in momente diferite.

and never worrying about putting your dignity on the line or anything like that.

si nu te-ai ingrijorat niciodata ca ai putea sa-ti pui demnitatea in pericol sau ceva de genul.

What was that? Was that real?

Ce e aia? Era adevarat?

RB: Yeah. We were launching a megastore in Los Angeles, I think.

Da. Lansam un magazin universal in Los Angeles, cred.

No, I mean, I think --

Nu, vreau sa zic, cred...

CA: But is that your hair?

Dar e acela parul tau?

RB: No.

Nu.

CA: What was that one?

Ce era acolo?

RB: Dropping in for tea.

Ma opream pentru un ceai.

CA: OK.

OK.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: Ah, that was quite fun. That was a wonderful car-boat in which --

Ah, asta a fost destul de amuzant. Aceasta era o minunata barca - masina in care eram

CA: Oh, that car that we -- actually we --

Oh, masina aia care era...

it was a TEDster event there, I think.

cred ca acela era un eventiment TEDster

Is that -- could you still pause on that one actually, for a minute?

Este aceea - ati putea opri la aceasta pentru un minut?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: It's a tough job, isn't it?

E o slujba dificila, nu?

CA: I mean, it is a tough job.

Adica - este o slujba grea.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

When I first came to America, I used to try this with employees as well

Cand am venit prima data in America obisnuiam sa incerc asta si cu angajatii

and they kind of -- they have these different rules over here,

dar ei au cam... ei au reguli diferite aici,

it's very strange.

e foarte ciudat.

RB: I know, I have -- the lawyers say you mustn't do things like that, but --

Stiu, imi spun avocatii ca nu trebuie sa fac lucrurile asa, dar...

CA: I mean, speaking of which, tell us about --

Adica, vorbind despre asta, spune-ne despre...

RB: "Pammy" we launched, you know --

Am lansat Pammy, stii,

mistakenly thought we could take on Coca-Cola,

gandind gresit ca am putea depasi Coca-Cola,

and we launched a cola bottle called "The Pammy"

si am lansat o sticla de cola numita :"The Pammy"

and it was shaped a bit like Pamela Anderson.

si a avut forma Pamelei Anderson.

But the trouble is, it kept on tipping over, but --

Dar problema e ca a continuat sa se rastoarne, dar

(Laughter)

(rasete)

CA: Designed by Philippe Starck perhaps?

Designul i-a apartinut lui Philippe Starck poate?♫

RB: Of course.

Desigur.

CA: So, we'll just run a couple more pictures here. Virgin Brides. Very nice.

Deci vom mai derula cateva poze aici. Virging Brides. Foarte dragut.

And, OK, so stop there. This was -- you had some award I think?

Si, OK, opriti-va aici. Asta era cand ai primit un premiu, cred.

RB: Yeah, well, 25 years earlier, we'd launched the Sex Pistols'

Da, ei bine, cu 25 de ani inainte lansasem Sex Pistols cu

"God Save The Queen," and I'd certainly never expected

"God Save The Qeen", si nu m-am asteptat cu siguranta niciodata

that 25 years later -- that she'd actually knight us.

ca 25 de ani mai tarziu ea chiar sa ne transforme in cavaleri.

But somehow, she must have had a forgetful memory, I think.

Dar cumva ea trebuie sa aiba o memorie cam slaba, cred.

CA: Well, God saved her and you got your just reward.

Ei bine, Dumnezeu a salvat-o si tu ai primit rasplata potrivita.

Do you like to be called Sir Richard, or how?

Iti place sa fii numit Sir Richard, sau cum?

RB: Nobody's ever called me Sir Richard.

Nu mi-a spus niciodata nimeni Sir Richard.

Occasionally in America, I hear people saying Sir Richard

Ocazional in America, aud oameni spunand Sir Richard

and think there's some Shakespearean play taking place.

si cred ca exista si vreo piesa shakespeare-ana care are loc.

But nowhere else anyway.

Dar in nicio alta parte, oricum.

CA: OK. So can you use your knighthood for anything or is it just ...

OK. Deci poti sa-ti folosesti gradul de cavaler la ceva sau este doar...

RB: No. I suppose if you're having problems

Nu. Presupun ca daca ai probleme

getting a booking in a restaurant or something,

in obtinerea unei rezervari la un restaurant sau ceva de genul,

that might be worth using it.

acolo l-ai putea folosi.

CA: You know, it's not Richard Branson. It's Sir Richard Branson.

Stiti, nu e Richard Branson, e Sir Richard Branson.

RB: I'll go get the secretary to use it.

O sa-i cer secretarei sa-l foloseasca.

CA: OK. So let's look at the space thing.

OK. Sa ne uitam deci la chestia spatiala.

I think, with us, we've got a video that shows what you're up to,

Cred ca, cu noi, avem un film care arata cam ce planuiti tu

and Virgin Galactic up in the air. (Video)

si Virgin Galactic acolo sus in aer.

So that's the Bert Rutan designed spaceship?

Deci asta e o nava spatiala al carei design apartine lui Bert Rutan?

RB: Yeah, it'll be ready in -- well, ready in 12 months

Da, va fi gata in 12 luni

and then we do 12 months extensive testing.

si apoi o vom testa intensiv timp de 12 luni

And then 24 months from now,

si in 24 de luni de acum

people will be able to take a ride into space.

oamenii vor putea sa calatoreasca in spatiu.

CA: So this interior is Philippe Starcke designed?

Deci acest interior e creat de Philippe Starck?

RB: Philippe has done the -- yeah, quite a bit of it:

Philippe a facut da, destul de mult din el

the logos and he's building the space station in New Mexico.

logourile si creeaza si statia spatiala din New Mexico,

And basically, he's just taken an eye

si practic a luat un ochi

and the space station will be one giant eye,

si statia spatiala va fi un ochi gigantic,

so when you're in space,

deci cand vei fi in spatiu

you ought to be able to see this massive eye looking up at you.

vei putea vedea acest ochi masiv uitandu-se la tine.

And when you land, you'll be able to go back into this giant eye.

Si cand vei ateriza, te vei intoarce in acest ochi masiv.

But he's an absolute genius when it comes to design.

Dar el e absolut un geniu cand vine vorba de design.

CA: But you didn't have him design the engine?

Dar nu l-ai pus sa faca designul motorului?

RB: Philippe is quite erratic,

Philippe e destul de haotic

so I think that he wouldn't be the best person to design the engine, no.

deci cred ca nu ar fi cea mai buna persoana care sa proiecteze motorul, nu.

CA: He gave a wonderful talk here two days ago.

A tinut un discurs minunat aici acum doua zile.

RB: Yeah? No, he is a --

Da? Nu, el e...

CA: Well, some people found it wonderful,

Ei bine, cativa oameni l-au considerat minunat,

some people found it completely bizarre.

altii l-au considerat complet bizar.

But, I personally found it wonderful.

Dar eu, personal, l-am considerat minunat.

RB: He's a wonderful enthusiast, which is why I love him. But ...

Este un foarte mare entuziast si de aceea il iubesc. Dar...

CA: So, now, you've always had this exploration bug in you.

Deci ai avut mereu aceasta dorinta de explorare in tine.

Have you ever regretted that?

Ai regretat vreo data asta?

RB: Many times.

De multe ori.

I mean, I think with the ballooning and boating expeditions we've done in the past.

Adica, ma gandesc la expeditiile cu balonul si barcile pe care le-am facut in trecut

Well, I got pulled out of the sea I think six times by helicopters, so --

ei bine, am fost scos din mare cu elicopterele de sase ori cred

and each time, I didn't expect to come home to tell the tale.

si de fiecare data nu m-am asteptat sa ajung acasa sa spun povestea.

So in those moments,

Deci in acele momente

you certainly wonder what you're doing up there or --

cu siguranta te intrebi ce cauti acolo sus sau...

CA: What was the closest you got to --

Cand ai fost cel mai aproape de a...

when did you think, this is it, I might be on my way out?

cand ai crezut ca s-a sfarsit, ca ai putea fi pe drumul fara intoarcere?

RB: Well, I think the balloon adventures were -- each one was,

Ei bine, cred ca aventurile cu balonul au fost, fiecare

each one, actually, I think we came close.

da, cu fiecare am fost foarte aproape.

And, I mean, first of all we --

Si, vreau sa spun, prima data

nobody had actually crossed the Atlantic in a hot air balloon before,

nu mai trecuse nimeni Atlanticul intr-un balon cu aer cald pana atunci,

so we had to build a hot air balloon that was capable of flying in the jet stream,

deci a trebuit sa construim un balon cu aer cald capabil sa zboare in curentii de aer rapizi

and we weren't quite sure,

si nu eram chiar siguri

when a balloon actually got into the jet stream,

ca atunci cand un balon va ajunge intr-un curent de aer,

whether it would actually survive the 200, 220 miles an hour winds that you can find up there.

va rezista la cele 200, 220 mile pe ora reprezentand viteza pe care o poate atinge vantul acolo sus.

And so, just the initial lift off from Sugarloaf to cross the Atlantic,

Si astfel doar ridicarea initiala din Sugarloaf pentru a traversa Atlanticul,

as we were pushing into the jet stream, this enormous balloon --

cum treceam prin curentii de aer, acest balon imens

the top of the balloon ended up going at a couple of hundred miles an hour,

varful balonului a ajuns sa mearga cu vreo doua sute de mile pe ora,

the capsule that we were in at the bottom was going at maybe two miles an hour,

iar capsula in care eram noi cu vreo 2 mile pe ora

and it just took off.

si a decolat pur si simplu.

And it was like holding onto a thousand horses.

Si a fost ca si cum tineam 1000 de cai

And we were just crossing every finger,

Si tineam pumnii cat de stransi puteam,

praying that the balloon would hold together, which, fortunately, it did.

rugandu-ne ca balonul sa nu se dezmembreze, ceea ce din fericire s-a si intamplat.

But the ends of all those balloon trips were, you know --

Dar sfarsiturile tuturor calatoriilor cu balonul au fost, stii...

something seemed to go wrong every time,

ceva a parut sa mearga rau de fiecare data,

and on that particular occasion, the more experienced balloonist who was with me

si cu ocazia aceea cel care conducea balonul, mai experimentat decat mine, care ma insotea,

jumped, and left me holding on for dear life.

a sarit si m-a lasat sa lupt pentru viata mea cea draga.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: Did he tell you to jump, or he just said, "I'm out of here!" and ...

Ti-a spus sa sari sau el doar a spus "Eu am plecat" si...

RB: No, he told me jump, but once his weight had gone,

Nu, mi-a spus sa sar, dar cand greutatea lui a disparut,

the balloon just shot up to 12,000 feet and I ...

balonul a tasnit la 3500 de metri si eu...

CA: And you inspired an Ian McEwan novel I think with that.

Si tu ai inspirat un roman de-al lui Ian McEwan cu asta, cred.

RB: Yeah. No, I put on my oxygen mask and stood on top of the balloon,

Mda. Nu, mi-am pus masca de oxigen si am stat in varful balonului,

with my parachute, looking at the swirling clouds below,

cu parasuta, uitandu-ma la norii care treceau sub mine,

trying to pluck up my courage to jump into the North Sea, which --

incercand sa-mi fac curaj sa sar in Marea Nordului...

and it was a very, very, very lonely few moments.

si au fost cateva momente foarte, foarte, foarte singuratice.

But, anyway, we managed to survive it.

Dar, oricum, am reusit sa supravietuim.

CA: Did you jump? Or it came down in the end?

Ai sarit sau a coborat in final?

RB: Well, I knew I had about half an hour's fuel left,

Ei bine, stiam ca mai am combustibil ramas cam pentru jumatate de ora,

and I also knew that the chances were that if I jumped,

si de asemenea stiam ca sansele erau ca daca saream

I would only have a couple of minutes of life left.

sa-mi mai fi ramas doar vreo 2 minute de trait.

So I climbed back into the capsule and just desperately tried

Deci m-am urcat din nou in capsula si am incercat cu disperare

to make sure that I was making the right decision.

sa ma asigur ca luam decizia corecta.

And wrote some notes to my family. And then climbed back up again,

Si am scris cateva biletele familiei mele. Si dupa am urcat sus din nou,

looked down at those clouds again,

uitandu-ma in jos la acei nori din nou,

climbed back into the capsule again.

si m-am catarat in capsula din nou.

And then finally, just thought, there's a better way.

Si atunci mi-am dat, finalmente, seama ca exista o modalitate mai buna.

I've got, you know, this enormous balloon above me,

Aveam, stii, acel balon enorm deasupra mea,

it's the biggest parachute ever, why not use it?

e cea mai mare parasuta existenta, de ce sa nu o folosesc?

And so I managed to fly the balloon down through the clouds,

Si astfel am reusit sa trec balonul in jos, prin nori

and about 50 feet, before I hit the sea, threw myself over.

si la vreo 15 metri, inainte sa loveasca marea, m-am aruncat.

And the balloon hit the sea

Si balonul a atins marea,

and went shooting back up to 10,000 feet without me.

si s-a ridicat cu vreo 3000 de metri fara mine.

But it was a wonderful feeling being in that water and --

Dar era un sentiment minunat sa fiu in acea apa si...

CA: What did you write to your family?

Ce i-ai scris familiei tale?

RB: Just what you would do in a situation like that:

Doar ce ai scrie intr-o situatie de aceea,

just I love you very much. And

ca ii iubesc foarte mult si

I'd already written them a letter before going on this trip, which --

deja le scrisesem o scrisoare inainte de a pleca in aceasta calatorie

just in case anything had happened.

in cazul in care s-ar fi intamplat ceva.

But fortunately, they never had to use it.

Dar din fericire nu au fost nevoiti sa o foloseasca.

CA: Your companies have had incredible PR value out of these heroics.

Companiile tale au avut parte de o promovare extraordinara din aceste fapte eroice.

The years -- and until I stopped looking at the polls,

In acei ani, pana am incetat sa ma uit la sondaje,

you were sort of regarded as this great hero in the U.K. and elsewhere.

erai privit ca un erou foarte mare in Regatul Unit si in rest.

And cynics might say, you know, this is just a smart business guy

Si cinicii ar putea spune, stii, ca acesta e doar un tip destept din lumea afacerilor

doing what it takes to execute his particular style of marketing.

care face ce e nevoie ca puna in practica stilul sau de marketing.

How much was the PR value part of this?

Care a fost valoarea de PR a acestora?

RB: Well, of course, the PR experts said that as an airline owner,

Ei bine, desigur, expertii in PR au spus ca, in calitate de proprietar de companie aeriana

the last thing you should be doing is heading off in balloons and boats,

ultimul lucru pe care ar trebui sa-l faci e sa pornesti in baloane sau barci

and crashing into the seas.

si sa cazi in mari.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: They have a point, Richard.

Au dreptate intr-un fel, Richard.

RB: In fact, I think our airline took a full page ad at the time saying,

De fapt, compania noastra aeriana cumparase o pagina intreaga pentru reclama pe atunci

you know, come on, Richard,

stii, hai Richard,

there are better ways of crossing the Atlantic.

sunt metode mai bune de a traversa Atlanticul.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: To do all this,

Pentru a face toate astea,

you must have been a genius from the get-go, right?

trebuie sa fi fost un geniu, nu?

RB: Well, I won't contradict that.

Nu voi contrazice asta.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: OK, this isn't exactly hardball. OK.

OK, asta nu e chiar Hardball, OK.

Didn't -- weren't you just terrible at school?

Nu erai groaznic la scoala?

RB: I was dyslexic. I had no understanding of schoolwork whatsoever.

Eram dislexic, nu puteam intelege sarcinile de la scoala in niciun fel.

I certainly would have failed IQ tests.

Cu siguranta as fi picat testele IQ.

And it was one of the reasons I left school when I was 15 years old.

Si acesta a fost unul din motivele pentru care am abandonat scoala cand aveam 15 ani.

And if I -- if I'm not interested in something, I don't grasp it.

Si daca eu nu sunt interesat in ceva, nu il pot face.

As somebody who's dyslexic,

Ca cineva dislexic,

you also have some quite bizarre situations.

poti avea niste situatii destul de bizare.

I mean, for instance, I've had to -- you know,

Adica, de exemplu, a trebuit sa, stii,

I've been running the largest group of private companies in Europe,

conduc cel mai mare grup de companii private din Europa,

but haven't been able to know the difference between net and gross.

dar n-am fost capabil sa inteleg diferenta dintre net si brut.

And so the board meetings have been fascinating.

Si astfel, intalnirile consiliului administrativ au fost fascinante.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

And so, it's like, good news or bad news?

Si astfel, sunt vesti bune sau proaste?

And generally, the people would say, oh, well that's bad news.

Si in general oamenii ar spune ei bine, astea sunt vesti proaste.

CA: But just to clarify, the 25 billion dollars is gross, right? That's gross?

Doar ca sa clarificam, cele 25 de miliarde sunt brut, nu, acela e brut?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: Well, I hope it's net actually, having --

Ei bine, sper sa fie net de fapt, avand...

(Laughter) --

(Rasete)

I've got it right.

Am nimerit-o.

CA: No, trust me, it's gross.

Nu, ai incredere in mine, e brut.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: So, when I turned 50, somebody took me outside the boardroom and said,

Deci cand am implinit 50 de ani, cineva m-a scos din sala de consiliu si mi-a zis

"Look Richard, here's a -- let me draw on a diagram.

"Uite, Richard, aici e... lasa-ma sa-ti desenez o diagrama...

Here's a net in the sea,

aici e o plasa in mare,

and the fish have been pulled from the sea into this net.

si pestele a fost prins din mare in aceasta plasa.

And that's the profits you've got left over in this little net,

Si acesta reprezinta profitul ramas in aceasta plasa mica,

everything else is eaten."

tot restul e mancat."

And I finally worked it all out.

Si, in sfarsit,am inteles totul.

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

(Applause)

(Aplauze)

CA: But, I mean, at school -- so as well as being,

Dar, vreau sa spun ca la scoala, pe langa fiind

you know, doing pretty miserably academically,

stii, descurcandu-te destul de prost din punct de vedere academic,

but you were also the captain of the cricket and football teams.

erai de asemenea capitanul echipelor de crichet si fotbal,

So you were kind of a -- you were a natural leader,

deci erai un fel de lider natural,

but just a bit of a ... Were you a rebel then, or how would you ...

dar si putin... erai un rebel atunci, sau cum te-ai...

RB: Yeah, I think I was a bit of a maverick and -- but I ... And I was,

Da, cred ca eram putin cam razvratit si... dar eram,

yeah, I was fortunately good at sport,

da, am fost foarte norocos sa fiu bun la sport

and so at least I had something to excel at, at school.

si astfel am avut ceva la care sa excelez la scoala.

CA: And some bizarre things happened just earlier in your life.

Si cateva lucruri bizare s-au intamplat mai devreme in viata ta.

I mean, there's the story about your mother

Adica, exista o poveste despre mama ta

allegedly dumping you in a field, aged four, and saying "OK, walk home."

lasandu-va, se spune, intr-un camp, la varsta de patru ani, spunandu-va: "OK, mergeti pe jos acasa".

Did this really happen?

Chiar s-a intamplat asta?

RB: She was, you know,

Ea era, stii tu,

she felt that we needed to stand on our own two feet from an early age.

ea simtea ca aveam nevoie sa ne sprijinim pe cele doua picioare ale noastre de la o varsta frageda.

So she did things to us, which now she'd be arrested for,

Deci ne-a invatat lucruri pentru care acum ar fi arestata,

such as pushing us out of the car,

cum ar fi sa ne dea jos din masina

and telling us to find our own way to Granny's,

si sa ne spuna sa ne gasim drumul spre casa bunicii,

about five miles before we actually got there.

cu vreo 8 kilometri inainte de a ajunge acolo.

And making us go on wonderful, long bike rides.

Sau sa ne faca sa mergem in calatorii extraordinare si lungi cu bicicleta.

And we were never allowed to watch television and the like.

Si nu ni s-a permis niciodata sa ne uitam la televizor si tot restul.

CA: But is there a risk here?

Dar este vreun risc in asta?

I mean, there's a lot of people in the room who are wealthy, and they've got kids,

Adica, exista foarte multi oameni in sala care sunt bogati si au copii,

and we've got this dilemma about how you bring them up.

si avem aceasta dilema in legatura cu modul de crestere al copiilor.

Do you look at the current generation of kids coming up and think

Te uiti la generatia actuala de copii care cresc si te gandesti

they're too coddled, they don't know what they've got,

ca sunt prea alintati, ca nu stiu ce au,

we're going to raise a generation of privileged ...

si vom creste o generatie de privilegiati...

RB: No, I think if you're bringing up kids,

Nu, cred ca daca cresti copii,

you just want to smother them with love and praise and enthusiasm.

vrei doar sa-i sufoci cu dragoste, pretuire si entuziasm.

So I don't think you can mollycoddle your kids too much really.

Deci nu cred ca-ti poti rasfata copilul prea mult, de fapt.

CA: You didn't turn out too bad, I have to say, I'm ...

Nu ai ajuns prea rau, trebuie sa spun, sunt...

Your headmaster said to you --

Directorul tau ti-a spus...

I mean he found you kind of an enigma at your school --

Adica te-a considerat un fel de enigma la scoala

he said, you're either going to be a millionaire or go to prison,

a spus ca fie vei fi milionar, fie vei ajunge la inchisoare,

and I'm not sure which.

si nu sunt sigur care.

Which of those happened first?

Care din ele s-a intamplat primul?

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

RB: Well, I've done both. I think I went to prison first.

Ei bine, am facut de-amandoua. Cred ca am ajuns intai la inchisoare.

I was actually prosecuted under two quite ancient acts in the U.K.

De fapt, am fost condamnat pentru doua legi destul de vechi in Marea Britanie.

I was prosecuted under the 1889 Venereal Diseases Act

Am fost condamnat pentru Legea Bolilor Venerice din 1889

and the 1916 Indecent Advertisements Act.

si Legea Reclamelor Indecente din 1916.

On the first occasion, for mentioning the word venereal disease in public, which --

In prima ocazie pentru ca am mentionat cuvantul boli venerice in public, pentru care

we had a center where we would help young people who had problems.

noi am avut un centru unde ajutam tinerii cu probleme.

And one of the problems young people have is venereal disease.

Si una din problemele oamenilor tineri e reprezentata de bolile venerice.

And there's an ancient law that says

Si exista o lege antica in care se stipuleaza

you can't actually mention the word venereal disease or print it in public.

ca nu poti mentiona in public sau tipari termenul boli venerice.

So the police knocked on the door, and told us they were going to arrest us

Deci politia a batut la usa noastra si ne-a spus ca ne vor aresta

if we carried on mentioning the word venereal disease.

daca vom continua sa mentionam cuvantul boli venerice.

We changed it to social diseases

Am schimbat in boli de societate

and people came along with acne and spots,

si oamenii au venit la noi cu acnee si cosuri,

but nobody came with VD any more.

dar nimeni n-a mai venit cu boli venerice.

So, we put it back to VD and promptly got arrested.

Deci am pus inapoi boli venerice si imediat am fost arestati.

And then subsequently, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols,"

Si apoi a urmat "Ignorati aiurelile, aici sunt Sex Pistols",

the word bollocks, the police decided was a rude word and so we were arrested

cuvantul "aiureli" (bollocks = si testicole), a decis politia, a fost un cuvant nepoliticos si deci am fost arestati

for using the word bollocks on the Sex Pistols' album.

pentru folosirea cuvantului "bollocks" pe albumul celor de la Sex Pistols.

And John Mortimer, the playwright, defended us.

Si John Mortimer, autorul cantecului, ne-a aparat.

And he asked if I could find a linguistics expert

Si a intrebat daca am putea gasi un expert lingvistic

to come up with a different definition of the word bollocks.

sa vina cu o definitie diferita a cuvantului "bollocks".

And so I rang up Nottingham University,

Si am sunat la Universitatea din Nottingham,

and I asked to talk to the professor of linguistics.

si am vrut sa vorbesc cu profesorul de lingvistica.

And he said, "Look, bollocks is not a -- has nothing to do with balls whatsoever.

Si el a spus "Uite, bollocks nu e... n-are nimic de-a face cu testiculele sub nicio forma.¥

It's actually a nickname given to priests in the eighteenth century."

E, de fapt, o porecla data preotilor in secolul XVIII".

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

And he went, "Furthermore, I'm a priest myself."

Si continua "cu atat mai mult, sunt chiar eu un preot".

And so I said, "Would you mind coming to the court?"

Si am zis "V-ar deranja sa veniti la tribunal?"

And he said he'd be delighted. And I said --

Si a spus ca ar fi incantat. Si am zis

and he said, "Would you like me to wear my dog collar?"

si a adaugat "V-ar placea sa-mi port gulerul?"

And I said, "Yes, definitely. Please."

Si i-am zis: "Da, asta ar fi... va rog..."

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: That's great.

Asta e grozav.

RB: So our key witness argued that it was actually

Deci martorul nostru cheie era... a argumentat ca era de fapt

"Never Mind the Priest, Here's the Sex Pistols."

"Ignorati preotii, aici sunt Sex Pistols"

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

And the judge found us -- reluctantly found us not guilty, so ...

Si judecatorul ne-a gasit nevinovati fara tragere de inima deci...

(Laughter)

(Rasete)

CA: That is outrageous.

Asta e scandalos.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)

So seriously, is there a dark side?

Deci serios, exista o parte intunecata?

A lot of people would say there's no way

O multime de oameni ar spune ca e imposibil

that someone could put together this incredible collection of businesses

ca cineva a reusit sa formeze aceasta incredibila colectie de afaceri

without knifing a few people in the back,

fara sa injunghie cativa oameni in spate,

you know, doing some ugly things.

stii, facand lucruri urate.

You've been accused of being ruthless.

Ai fost acuzat ca esti crud.

There was a nasty biography written about you by someone.

A existat si o biografie obscena scrisa despre tine de cineva.

Is any of it true? Is there an element of truth in it?

E vreo parte adevarata? Exista vreun element de adevar in acest lucru?

RB: I don't actually think that the stereotype

Nu prea cred ca stereotipul

of a businessperson treading all over people to get to the top,

unei persoane de afaceri care calca peste oameni ca sa junga in varf,

generally speaking, works.

functioneaza in general.

I think if you treat people well,

Cred ca daca tratezi oamenii bine,

people will come back and come back for more.

oamenii se vor intoarce si se vor intoarce pentru mai mult.

And I think all you have in life is your reputation

Si cred ca tot ce ai in viata este reputatia ta

and it's a very small world.

si este o lume foarte mica.

And I actually think that the best way

Si cred ca cel mai bun mod

of becoming a successful business leader is dealing with people fairly and well,

de a deveni o persoana de afaceri de succes este sa te comporti cu oamenii corect si bine

and I like to think that's how we run Virgin.

si imi place sa cred ca astfel conducem Virgin.

CA: And what about the people who love you and who see you spending --

Si cum e cu oamenii care te iubesc si te vad petrecand...

you keep getting caught up in these new projects,

te tot implici in aceste proiecte noi,

but it almost feels like you're addicted to launching new stuff.

dar se percepe aproape ca ai fi dependent de lansarea unor lucruri noi.

You get excited by an idea and, kapow!

Devii incantat de o idee si, kapow!

I mean, do you think about life balance?

Adica, te gandesti la echilibrul vietii?

How do your family feel about

Cum se simte familia ta

each time you step into something big and new?

de fiecare data cand te aventurezi in ceva mare si nou?

RB: I also believe that being a father's incredibly important,

Si eu cred ca sa fii tata e extrem de important,

so from the time the kids were very young,

deci de cand copiii erau foarte mici

you know, when they go on holiday, I go on holiday with them.

stii, cand ei merg in vacanta merg si eu cu ei.

And so we spend a very good sort of three months away together.

Si astfel petrecem trei luni departe intr-un mod foarte placut.

Yes, I'll, you know, be in touch. We're very lucky,

Da, voi tine legatura. Suntem foarte noroccosi,

we have this tiny little island in the Caribbean and we can --

ca avem aceasta insula micuta in Marea Caraibilor si putem...

so I can take them there and we can bring friends,

pot sa ii iau acolo si putem aduce si prieteni,

and we can play together,

si ne putem juca impreuna,

but I can also keep in touch with what's going on.

dar pot, de asemenea, sa tin legatura cu ce se intampla.

CA: You started talking in recent years

Ai inceput sa vorbesti recent

about this term capitalist philanthropy.

despre acest termen - filantropie capitalista.

What is that?

Ce reprezinta?

RB: Capitalism has been proven to be a system that works.

Capitalismul s-a dovedit a fi un sistem care functioneaza.

You know, the alternative, communism, has not worked.

Stii, alternativa, comunismul, n-a functionat.

But the problem with capitalism is

Dar problema cu capitalismul e ca

extreme wealth ends up in the hands of a few people,

bogatia extrema ajunge in mainile a foarte putini oameni,

and therefore extreme responsibility, I think, goes with that wealth.

si, deci, responsabilitatea extrema, cred, merge cu acea bogatie.

And I think it's important that the individuals,

Si cred ca e important ca indivizii

who are in that fortunate position, do not end up competing

care sunt in acea pozitie foarte norocoasa, sa nu ajunga sa concureze

for bigger and bigger boats, and bigger and bigger cars,

pentru barci din ce in ce mai mari si masini din ce in ce mai mari,

but, you know, use that money to either create new jobs

ci sa foloseasca banii fie pentru a crea slujbe,

or to tackle issues around the world.

fie pentru a rezolva probleme in jurul lumii.

CA: And what are the issues that you worry about most, care most about,

Si care sunt problemele care te ingrijoreaza cel mai mult si de care iti pasa cel mai mult,

want to turn your resources toward?

si spre care vrei sa-ti intorci resursele?

RB: Well, there's -- I mean there's a lot of issues.

Ei bine, exista... sunt o multime de probleme.

I mean global warming certainly is a massive threat to mankind

Adica incalzirea golbala cu siguranta e o amenintare masiva asupra omenirii

and we are putting a lot of time and energy into,

si investim o multime de timp si energie in:

A, trying to come up with alternative fuels

A) incercand sa gasim carburanti alternativi

and, B, you know, we just launched this prize, which is really a prize

si B), stii, abia am lansat acest premiu, care chiar e un premiu

in case we don't get an answer on alternative fuels,

in cazul in care nu primim un raspuns pentru carburanti alternativi,

in case we don't actually manage to get the carbon emissions

in cazul in care nu reusim sa reducem emisiile de carbon

cut down quickly, and in case we go through the tipping point.

rapid si in cazul in care ajungem la punctul maxim,

We need to try to encourage people to come up with a way

avem nevoie sa incurajam oamenii sa gaseasca un mod

of extracting carbon out of the Earth's atmosphere.

de a extrage carbonul din atmosfera pamantului.

And we just -- you know, there weren't really people

Si noi doar... stii, nu erau oamenii

working on that before, so we wanted people to try to --

preocupati de asta inainte, deci vrem ca oamenii sa incerce sa...

all the best brains in the world to start thinking about that,

cele mai mari creiere ale lumii sa se gandeasca la asta,

and also to try to extract the methane

si sa incerce sa extraga metanul

out of the Earth's atmosphere as well.

din atmosfera Pamantului de asemenea.

And actually, we've had about 15,000 people fill in the forms

Si am avut chiar 15.000 de oameni care au completat formularele

saying they want to give it a go.

spunand ca vor sa incerce.

And so we only need one, so we're hopeful.

Si astfel avem nevoie doar de unul, deci suntem optimisti.

CA: And you're also working in Africa on a couple of projects?

Si lucrezi si la vreo doua proiecte in Africa?

RB: Yes, I mean, we've got -- we're setting up something called

Da, adica avem... construim ceva numit

the war room, which is maybe the wrong word.

"camera de razboi" care e probabil expresia gresita...

We're trying to -- maybe we'll change it -- but anyway, it's a war room

incercam sa... probabil o s-o schimb, dar, oricum, e o camera de razboi

to try to coordinate all the attack that's going on in Africa,

prin care incercam sa coordonam toate atacurile care au loc in Africa,

all the different social problems in Africa,

diferitele problemele sociale ale Africii,

and try to look at best practices.

si sa incercam sa ne uitam la cele mai bune practici.

So, for instance,

Deci, de exemplu,

there's a doctor in Africa that's found that

exista un doctor in Africa care a descoperit ca

if you give a mother antiretroviral drugs at 24 weeks, when she's pregnant,

daca ii dai unei mame medicamente antiretrovirale la 24 de saptamani de sarcina,

that the baby will not have HIV when it's born.

bebelusul nu va avea HIV la nastere.

And so disseminating that information to

Si astfel, diseminand aceasta informatie catre

around the rest of Africa is important.

restul Africii e important.

CA: The war room sounds, it sounds powerful and dramatic.

Camera de razboi suna, suna puternic si dramatic.

And is there a risk that the kind of the business heroes of the West

Dar exista un risc ca acest fel de eroi de afaceri din vest

get so excited about -- I mean, they're used to having an idea,

sa devina atat de entuziasmati, adica sunt obisnuiti sa aiba o idee,

getting stuff done, and they believe profoundly

sa faca lucruri si cred profund

in their ability to make a difference in the world.

in abilitatile lor de a schimba lumea.

Is there a risk that we go to places like Africa and say,

Exista riscul sa ajungem in locuri precum Africa si sa spunem,

we've got to fix this problem and we can do it,

ca trebuie sa rezlvam aceasta problema si o putem face,

I've got all these billions of dollars, you know, da, da, da --

am toate miliardele acestea de dolari, stii, da, da, da...

here's the big idea. And kind of take a much more complex situation

uite ideea mea mareata. Si sa iau o situatie mult mai complexa

and actually end up making a mess of it. Do you worry about that?

si sa ajung sa fac un fiasco din ea. Te ingrijoreaza asta?

RB: Well, first of all, on this particular situation, we're actually --

Ei bine, in primul rand, in aceasta situatie particulara noi, de fapt,

we're working with the government on it.

lucram cu guvernul asupra ei.

I mean, Thabo Mbeki's had his problems with accepting

Adica, Thabo Mbeki a avut problemele lui in acceptarea

HIV and AIDS are related, but this is a way, I think,

faptului ca HIV si SIDA sunt relationate dar exista un mod, cred,

of him tackling this problem and instead of the world criticizing him,

de a-l determina sa se implice in aceasta problema in loc ca lumea sa-l critice,

it's a way of working with him, with his government.

e un mod de a lucra cu el, cu guvernul lui.

It's important that if people do go to Africa and do try to help,

E important ca oamenii sa mearga in Africa si sa incerce sa ajute,

they don't just go in there and then leave after a few years.

ei nu doar merg acolo si pleaca dupa cativa ani.

It's got to be consistent.

Trebuie sa fie consecvent.

But I think business leaders can bring their entrepreneurial know-how

Dar cred ca liderii din lumea afacerilor pot aduce cunostintele lor antreprenoriale

and help governments approach things slightly differently.

si ajuta guvernele sa faca lucrurile usor diferit.

For instance, we're setting up clinics in Africa

De exemplu, noi constituim clinici in Africa

where we're going to be giving

unde vom da

free antiretroviral drugs, free TB treatment

medicamente antiretrovirale, tratament pentru tuberculoza gratis

and free malaria treatment.

si tratament gratis pentru malaria.

But we're also trying to make them self-sustaining clinics,

Dar incercam, de asemenea, sa facem clinici auto-sustenabile

so that people pay for some other aspects.

astfel incat oamenii sa plateasca alte aspecte.

CA: I mean a lot of cynics say about someone like yourself, or Bill Gates,

Adica, o multime de cinici spun despre cineva ca tine sau Bill Gates

or whatever, that this is really being -- it's almost driven by

sau oricine altcineva, ca asta e aproape ghidata de

some sort of desire again, you know, for the right image,

un fel de dorinta, din nou, pentru imaginea corecta,

for guilt avoidance and not like a real philanthropic instinct.

pentru evitarea vinei si nu dintr-un instinct filantropic real.

What would you say to them?

Ce le-ai spune?

RB: Well, I think that everybody --

Ei bine, cred ca toti...

people do things for a whole variety of different reasons

oamenii fac lucruri pentru o varietate de motive diferite

and I think that, you know, when I'm on me deathbed,

si cred ca, stii, cand voi fi pe patul de moarte

I will want to feel that I've made a difference

vreau sa simt ca am insemnat ceva

to other people's lives.

in vietile altor oameni.

And that may be a selfish thing to think,

Si asta poate e un lucru egoist la care sa te gandesti,

but it's the way I've been brought up.

dar e modul in care am fost crescut.

I think if I'm in a position to

Si cred ca daca sunt intr-o pozitie de a

radically change other people's lives for the better,

schimba radical vietile altor oameni in bine,

I should do so.

ar trebui sa o fac.

CA: How old are you?

Cati ani ai?

RB: I'm 56.

Am 56 de ani.

CA: I mean, the psychologist Erik Erikson says that -- as I understand him

Adica, psihologul Erik Erikson spune ca, asa cum inteleg eu,

and I'm a total amateur -- but that during 30s, 40s people are driven by

si sunt un amator total, dar ca la 30, 40 de ani, oamenii sunt ghidati de

this desire to grow and that's where they get their fulfillment.

dorinta asta de a creste si atunci ajung la implinire,

50s, 60s, the mode of operation shifts more to the quest for wisdom

la 50, 60 de ani, modul de operare se schimba mai mult spre cautarea intelepciunii

and a search for legacy.

si in cautarea unei mosteniri.

I mean, it seems like you're still

Adica, pare ca inca esti

a little bit in the growth phases,

putin in faza de crestere,

you're still doing these incredible new plans.

ca inca faci aceste planuri noi absolut incredibile.

How much do you think about legacy,

Cat de mult crezi in aceasta mostenire

and what would you like your legacy to be?

si ce ti-ar placea sa fie?

RB: I don't think I think too much about legacy.

Nu cred ca ma gandesc prea mult la mostenire.

I mean, I like to -- you know, my grandmother lived to 101,

Adica, imi place sa... stii, bunica a trait pana la 101 ani,

so hopefully I've got another 30 or 40 years to go.

deci sper ca mai am vreo 30 sau 40 de ani ramasi.

No, I just want to live life to its full.

Nu, doar vreau sa traiesc viata la maximum.

You know, if I can make a difference,

Stii, daca eu pot face diferenta,

I hope to be able to make a difference.

sper sa fiu capabil sa o fac.

And I think one of the positive things at the moment is

Si cred ca unul din lucrurile pozitive acum e

you've got Sergey and Larry from Google, for instance,

ca exista Sergey si Larry de la Google de exemplu,

who are good friends.

care sunt buni prieteni.

And, thank God, you've got two people

Si, slava Domnului, ai doi oameni

who genuinely care about the world and with that kind of wealth.

carora le pasa cu adevarat de lume si cu o astfel de bogatie.

If they had that kind of wealth and they didn't care about the world,

Si daca ei ar avea acel fel de bogatie si nu le-ar pasa de lume,

it would be very worrying.

ar fi foarte ingrijorator.

And you know they're going to make a hell of a difference to the world.

Si stii ca vor face o diferenta enorma in lume.

And I think it's important

Si cred ca e important

that people in that kind of position do make a difference.

ca oamenii din astfel de pozitii sa faca diferenta.

CA: Well, Richard, when I was starting off in business,

Ei bine, Richard, cand am inceput eu in afaceri

I knew nothing about it and I also was sort of --

nu stiam nimic despre asta si eram, de asemenea,

I thought that business people were supposed to just be ruthless

credeam ca oamenii de afaceri erau meniti doar sa fie cruzi

and that that was the only way you could have a chance of succeeding.

si ca acela era singurul mod de a avea o sansa sa reusesti.

And you actually did inspire me. I looked at you, I thought,

Si tu chiar m-ai inspirat. M-am uitat la tine, m-am gandit

well, he's made it. Maybe there is a different way.

ei bine, a reusit, poate exista si alt mod.

So I would like to thank you for that inspiration,

Deci as vrea sa-ti multumesc pentru aceasta inspiratie

and for coming to TED today. Thank you.

si pentru ca ai venit la TED azi. Multumesc.

Thank you so much.

Multumesc foarte mult.

(Applause)

(Aplauze)