Sunny boy

It seems the golden boy doesn’t shine like he used to.

- Joseph T. Gonzales [e-mail]

Leandro Leviste, former wunderkid with the political pedigree and the Yale degree, known for capturing the sun and saving the earth, has fallen from grace.

Known for snagging a national franchise for solar power generation despite the objections of all the major players in the electric industry, known for making billions when he flipped a solar company to the power King Kong, and also known for winning a Congressional seat at his young age, it seemed Leviste could do no wrong. Life was a road paved all the way to god status before 40.

But that was so last year. This year, it’s been quite messy. The titans are gearing up against him, he has been fined billions more than he reportedly made, and his reputation is being shredded systematically by thought leaders and opinionated influencers. Where did he go wrong?

I was watching clips of his press conference just this morning, and the word “performative” (which I hate for its recent ubiquity) came to mind. Boohoo, he received death threats. Boohoo, he will release files that will damage powerful people if something happens to him. Boohoo, his national franchise automatically expired because two years lapsed, and that’s the period given him.