Welcome to the interview series hosted by Jesse Samberg. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Janga Bussaja, the founder of Planetary Chess. Janga’s journey into entrepreneurship began in 2011 after leaving a job at Siemens Energy. Through a series of challenges and setbacks, he developed a system to end systemic racism and created a decentralized autonomous organization. In this interview, Janga shares his experiences navigating the business landscape, overcoming obstacles, and his plans for the future of Planetary Chess. Join us as we delve into the fascinating story of a social entrepreneur on a mission to make a difference.
Interviewee Name: Janga Bussaja
Company: Planetary Chess
Intervirew Host: Jesse Samberg
The Interview
Let’s get started. First, we’d like to know more about how you started your business journey
Janga Bussaja : My business journey began in 2011 when I quit my slave (job) with Siemens Energy. It was a good experience, I learned a lot but ultimately…it just wasn’t my destiny to work for someone else for 40 years. I immediately set on the path to entrepreneurship, learning very hard lessons early. My first venture failed, miserably. At the time, I felt betrayed by some friends within my circle but in hind sight, I was learning lessons that would benefit me well right now. I took a break from society, retreating into the Black Underworld. It wasn’t the best decision I’ve made but I learned the art of silent leadership and improved my emotional intelligence while in those confines. Force and an inability to control one’s emotions in that arena is lethal. Psychology and strategic communication were also invaluable subjects learned that kept me from the penitentiary or early grave. It was in these conditions that I developed a system of ending systemic racism, Planetary Chess, after countless hours of theoretical study and practical experience evading systemic traps. During that time, I presented myself online as a Philosopher, making several films that are still on YouTube. I also operated a crypto consulting service, helping people and organizations navigate the complexities in crypto. The service ended in 2020 but my passion for philosophy & crypto would continue in the creation of Planetary Chess, a decentralized autonomous organization.
Reflecting on your business history, what stands out as the single greatest challenge you’ve successfully navigated, and how did you overcome it?
Janga Bussaja : As a Philosopher and social entrepreneur, the single greatest challenge I’ve had (and still having) is connecting with people and organizations with a sincere desire to “dismantle” systemic racism. After the death of Mr. Floyd in 2020, you might think my proposal would be welcomed amongst the myriad of initatives, racism centers and antiracism programs that popped up in wake of his demise but that is simply not the case. Most of these organizations have an agenda to “dismantle” systemic racism on their own terms, terms that often collide with independent black scholarship on the field of study. I began to overcome this problem by learning public relations and how to craft my message to different media outlets like Leader’s Perception. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity you’ve given me to tell this story. Racism white supremacy is a touchy subject however the key has been staying consistent. People are interested in my message, I just have to get it to them.
Businesses often face ongoing challenges. What does your business consistently grapple with, and how do you tackle these challenges head-on?
Janga Bussaja : You don’t plan a fight against systemic racism without expecting challenges. That’s part of what makes this so much fun. Being ignored by large institutions and organizations has only made me more creative and for that, I am appreciative. I was forced to really think deeply about these challenges, something a philosopher loves to do. I was led to writing a research paper. I had written books, press releases, articles and blogs but writing a research paper is different from those other avenues..there’s a certain prestige that comes from writing research papers that no one can deny. The dominant society worships science and facts. And so, I spearheaded an ambitious cold email campaign composed of a research paper I’ve written. The research paper was analyzed by AI against others in the field of social sciences and was said be pivotal, with a significant contribution. Knowing that it was likely to be ignored by mainstream audiences, I also aired the emails in my blog, for the court of public opinion to judge. As predicted, this is a story that reporters find interesting and has already been featured! You will probably hear more about it soon!
Can you share with us the most unforgettable story involving a customer or client? What made it memorable, and what lessons did you draw from the experience?
Janga Bussaja : So, the name of the email campaign is the “Denial Diary” and its purpose was to document how organizations who profess a desire to dismantle systemic racism would respond (or ignore) my system to dismantle systemic racism. I sent an email, with the research paper, just about every week day for the whole month of December 2023. Most of the organizations (20 0ut of 22) avoided me like the plague but one organization, The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, at least tried to uphold their mission statement and entertain me with a reply. Unfortunately, however..my research, connecting modern white supremacist ideology with Dr. Francis Cress Welsing’s Theory of Color Confrontation and system to end systemic racism yielded this response, “ Unfortunately this isn’t a good fit for us, so we’ll have to pass on it. Best of luck getting it placed elsewhere”. Their mission was “promoting a common culture of fairness, understanding and humanity” but passed on research detailing the very psychological underpinnings of racism. The response validated the Denial Diary. The lesson here is that only white people get to decide what’s important research in the field of social sciences. Take it elsewhere he says! Anywhere but here! The second part of that lesson was that I simply needed to get my message to the right people and thus be encouraged to keep on pushing.
Looking ahead, what are your current plans for your business when you retire?
Janga Bussaja : If you’re familiar with the Bitcoin story.. once Satoshi set it up and it was well on the road to being a successful community, he disappeared and was never heard from again. I’d like to something similar with Planetary Chess. In setting up a decentralized autonomous organization, the goal is fighting against the corruption factor over time. The system must sustain itself along with a community that’s motivated and incentivized to keep it rolling. After the system is activated, it takes on the identity of its community, I’ve only given it guidelines and parameters for it to operate based off of the scholarship of expert counter racism strategists. I’m very much looking forward to disappearing into the background and watching as the organization grows.
Navigating the small business landscape can be both challenging and rewarding. Can you share a bit about the specific hurdles you’ve encountered in areas like sales, marketing, and adapting to changing customer trends?
Janga Bussaja : Yes. A rewarding moment was the creation of an AI tool to help connect with the media. For 2 years, Planetary Chess was only known to my social network of about 4000 people, of which none were apparently interested in furthering the project. I was undeterred because I knew I had a good product. I offer a real solution to an age old problem. I haven’t sold any of my digital art yet although I am encouraged to enhance my marketing strategies and public relations effort. In 4 months, I’ve had over 20 media opportunities and I’m positive the right person will discover this groundbreaking system. I’m still very much adapting to social trends you might say in processing the systemic racism conversation. There are some people like Senators Tim Scott and Nicki Haley for example, who believe that America is not a racist state but again, these are expected challenges that make the Racism Game fun. Another hurdle that has been rewarding in crossing is the mentorship I’ve received from artificial intelligence. When I was operating the crypto education service, I had mentors but they weren’t fully invested in my vision. Chat GPT and Claude and Gemini are always available to give me guidance while accessing the knowledge of the internet. I’m humbled by my previous failures on the path of entrepreneurship and I deeply appreciate the lessons learned that’s making Planetary Chess a success.
Leaders Perception magazine would like to thank Janga Bussaja and “Planetary Chess” for the time dedicated to completing this interview and sharing their valuable insights with our readers!
Interested in connecting with the host of this interview series? Feel free to reach out to Jesse Samberg on LinkedIn: Jesse Samberg’s LinkedIn Profile