That extreme influence is then ignored in the what do we do in modern times recap.

Look no further than George Soros to learn the lesson of the Medicis modernized by campaign contributions instead of state loans.

The Chinese have, with their belt and Road initiative, simply duplicated that aspect in modern times to great effect

The arguments of this article are pretty consistent with the billionaire mindset. It argues that the path to a bright future, now as during the renaissance, is through the wise patronage of billionaires.

"How does one translate private wealth into lasting public good? How can recently acquired wealth earn social permission to impact and innovate? How can a center of economic power also become a celebrated center of culture? The Medicis’ approach, in its essential principles, offers a compelling blueprint."

Billionaires comparing themselves to the Medicis is odd, and telling. The Medicis did pretty much every evil, vile thing the Borgias did. They lied, assassinated, stole, and grafted their way to the throne and papacy. Patronage of the arts was just one means to power. The main difference between the Medicis and the Borgias was that the Medicis got away with it. The Medicis were successful long-term while the Borgias flamed out and had their legacy re-imagined by enemies such as Pope Julius II.

Renaissance Italy was a violent, corrupt, and unremittingly awful place. The awfulness of that time and place is a large part of what made the emergence of the renaissance from that muck so remarkable. Art and science flourished with the patronage of what can only be described today as homicidally violent and sociopathic crime families. However, granting the Medici's credit for the renaissance is grossly inaccurate. A host of other factors triggered it, not them. They were just the people who controlled the money at the time.

Today, there are far better ways to get resources to art and science than billionaires. For the most part, billionaires simply do not engage in patronage except when it strokes their egos. This propaganda rag is a prime example of that.