“Telosa,” the Billionaire-Backed Utopian City Inspired by Aristotle

Billionaire Marc Lore, the former head of Walmart.com, is planning to create the “utopian” city of Telosa by 2050.

Lore, who was the CEO of Walmart’s US e-commerce between 2016 and 2021, resigned from the mega-retailer in order to shift his entire focus towards creating Telosa. Lore is also a billionaire who was named one of the “smartest people in technology” by Fortune magazine.

Lore’s interest in a sustainable and “utopian” city for the future here on Earth represents a stark contrast from fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who each have their own respective aerospace companies — Bezos’ is Blue Origin and Musk’s is SpaceX — dedicated to space exploration with eyes towards commercial space travel and even possibly settling on Mars.

Telosa — sustainable utopia with an ancient Greek philosophy

Telosa draws its name from the Greek word telos, which means “greater purpose” or goal.

The term was a staple of ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle’s thinking, and he used it to explore the meaning of the fullest purpose a person or thing may hope to achieve. Scholar Bill Thayer, in his introduction to the Roman philosopher Cicero’s work De Finibus, defined Aristotle’s concept as pertaining to “the supreme end of man’s endeavor.”

It’s clear that Lore seeks to fulfill the goal humanity has had since its most early days on Earth: building the most functional and successful civilization possible.

“I’m trying to create a new model for society, where wealth is created in a fair way,” Lore explained in a recent interview with Fortune.

“It’s not burdening the wealthy; it’s not increasing taxes. It is simply giving back to the citizens and the people the wealth that they helped create.”

Telosa project aims to reach a population of 5 million by 2050

In Telosa, “training centers, cultural institutions, and retail spill out onto the street where shaded public spaces encourage residents to come together,” the project’s website says.

“Lush in native planting, the city parks host carefully managed reservoirs which store water for the city and provide all residents with open space within minutes of where they live.”

Lore’s push for sustainability will have the city featuring indoor farming, energy-efficient buildings, self-driving electric cars, and high-speed public transit.

The city’s central landmark will be the Equitism Tower, a large cone-shaped metal skyscraper with water storage, aeroponic farms, and a photovoltaic roof that will make it capable of distributing energy.

Lore needs $500 billion in order to launch Telosa, and expects the city to have a population of 50,000 by 2030, with an eventual population of 5 million by 2050.

Lore and his team are still searching for the perfect location for Telosa, and are particularly interested in the American desert.