--- title: Branson Video | TIME description: Richard Branson talks to Techland canonical: https://time.com/video/QCpdjfy3/ og:title: Branson Video og:description: Richard Branson talks to Techland og:url: https://time.com/video/QCpdjfy3/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QCpdjfy3/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Branson Video twitter:description: Richard Branson talks to Techland twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QCpdjfy3/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Branson Video > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Branson Video [Watch (HLS stream): Branson Video](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QCpdjfy3.m3u8) (10:57)  _Published 2009-11-20. Richard Branson talks to Techland_ --- Jul 27, 2023 1:16 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Richard Branson: The Risk of Space Tourism ](/video/sfa4wCWp/) ### Richard Branson: The Risk of Space Tourism [How Richard Branson Made His First Million](/video/FwF1ezuQ/) ### How Richard Branson Made His First Million [10 Questions for Richard Branson](/video/eNZmRBb6/) ### 10 Questions for Richard Branson --- ## Transcript >> Well, I'm in a Virgin America plane and it's [ unk ] to use a wifi. I think it's great coz even the plane is [ unk ]. So, let's say we got lots of time to talk. >> Oh fabulous, you know, now that you bring that up, please tell us about your partnership with Google as far as far as Virgin America is concern. >> Well, we go back with Google for a long time. I'm delighted to say that, you know, Larry Page got married on Necker Island and I officiated at his wedding. So, we know each other well. Say we're good close friends. We're kite surfing together. But, you know, if there are ways in which we can help each other business wise, we also do that as well and so we got this partnership where Google is paying for all the wifi use that people used from Virgin planes at the moment. And then in Virgin Atlantic, I think with earlier line in America. Wifi for all that planes and that seats. So, it's a good marriage as they say. A good marriage if you can get a marriage, but a good marriage. >> Fabulous. So, where are you headed right now? >> I'm gonna be headed to San Francisco and then on to Canada. So, I'm doing quite a lot of flying, which does help having an airline. Actually, it took lots of miles. In fact, my flight today are not miles now. Flying on Virgin American and Virgin Atlantic to go to space and this will happen on December 7th. We are unveiling our spaceship in the Mojave dessert. So, I should be able to use my miles to get a free fly from our spaceship. >> Well, I hope so. So, today marks your inaugural flight to Fort Lauderdale, right? >> Yes, we flew into Fort Lauderdale earlier on today and it was a great flight. I think lots of tequila drunk and lots of fun had by everybody, but on the serious note, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles has not had many flights, has not had much competition. We're now doing two flights a day to both cities and so the Fort Lauderdaleans and the San Franciscans and Los Angeleans or whatever you call it, they think then, they can now go at best service in the sky to fly twice a day between those cities. >> You know aside from a plane out to Fort Lauderdale, why-- Can you tell me why is this flight is so important to Virgin? >> Well, we then actually fly on Virgin at a sunny-- sunny places or the sea places. So, this will be our first sun and sand and sea destination and we're now planning quite a big expansion over the next three years with Virgin America. It's been Virgin America's, I think it's been a tremendous success. Word or mouth it's ready to work for it. We need [ unk ] that is lacking. It's the number of destinations and, you know, the people that fly Virgin America gratefully just, you know, keep saying, you know, " why can't you fly to this place, why cant you fly to that place ?" It is up to us now to get more planes, you know, so that- so we can fill in the gaps. I learned it from Fort Lauderdaleans today who have said to me, you know, why can't you do Fort Lauderdale to Chicago to New York et cetera and I'm sure that over the next two to three years, we'll be doing many more routes outside of Fort Lauderdale now. >> Okay. Now, you guys are doing some sort of initiative for your young entrepreneurs foundation, correct? >> That's right. You know, I just had on board a number of young entrepreneurs that we support in schools. We have kids that very much came from this sort of internships. You know, trying to teach them how to become entrepreneurs. I was lucky enough to, you know, stand on my own two feet when I was 15, 16 years old and build the business from scratch. And we wanna help thousands of people to do the same thing and so, you know, it's great that, you know, some schools are now taking on board this program. Here, in Africa for instance, we have some [ unk ] which is for African students in internships to give them an education as to how become an entrepreneur. A difficult thing to teach, but it is possible and then to give them a good money to get them to start their own businesses and we have some tremendous success with this, so, why not America? >> Okay. Are __ you know, we discussed Virgin's dream flight a little bit. You mentioned a solar power company by the name of Solyndra. >> Yes, I mean Solyndra, i suspect did a full fronted developing solar panels that of, you know, very effective and today it is growing a place at the moment. But since then, you know, we've invested in many quite amount of other companies. We have a long way forward in developing an [ unk ] based aviation field. I think I talked to you about developing an Ice Aviation based aviation field and things are progressing well. I mean, we are trying to work on, you know, how to produce enough [ unk ] in these fields to par off planes in the future and that stress the challenge the most. It's something, you know, that we're working on. but hopefully in the not too distant future, we will be paring off planes on clean field. >> Okay. You touched it just a bit ago about Virgin Galactic, what exactly is happening on December 7th in Mojave? >> Uh huh, okay. What's happening in December 7th in Mojave dessert is that Virgin Galactic will be rolled out of its hangar. It will be finished. The mother ship, Eve is also finished. And the testing program could then start. So, you know, so we just, we're gonna show the world what the finished Virgin Galactic spaceship looks like and unveil it to the world. >> Okay. >> I'm excited. >> And is Virgin Galactic still on track for next, is it next year or the year after that? >> Well, the test program will then start in December. And it will go on as long as it takes so that we are 100 % sure that it's safe to go up at it and because I'm bringing my children and my parents on the first flight. We need to take all [ unk ] that, you know, it will be something like 12 months or 18 months from December. >> Okay. And last question, in the recent interview at the Time, you mentioned that your next project is Virgin Aquatic? >> Yeah, I think we're about to change the name to Virgin Oceanic coz it sounds a bit more grand. >> Okay. >> But, yeah, Virgin Oceanic is actually as challenging as building spaceships. What we're trying to do is build submarines that are capable of withstanding the gigantic pressures at 35, 000 feet under water and the pressure 35, 000 feet is many, many times greater than 35, 000 feet in the air. So, what we're looking for is to build submarines that can be used for scientific purposes, you know, they can discover numerous undiscovered species down at 35, 000 feet. They can explore. The immensity of the ocean has not been explored. So we can begin to start mapping out the ocean floors. It can be great adventure rides to people who just want to do it for the pure adventure of it. It's very, very important scientifically for various scientist that want to use them for that purpose. So, you know, we're ready, we will start with submarines to go down a thousand feet to 10, 000 feet that way we'll just start with the program of building the very deep subs. >> Sounds great. Is there any chance that, you know, maybe I could fill in on one of those? >> We certainly could talk about it. What I'm gonna do, I think you know Christine and the others. So, near the time of the deep sub will be about two or three years away. >> Okay. >> And the other subs, you know, the once that go down about 10, 000 feet will be only about a year away. Then, I'll leave you to talk to Christine and-- >> Okay. >> And we will work out how to go from that. >> All right, I know you're busy and-- just I guess really more, one more question. Do you have any new or specific stunts plan? >> Well, It's my 60th year this year coming up and my kids have challenged me to kite surf across the channel in July and I've taken them up on that. So, I'll be trying to do that. >> Okay. >> And I'm also running in the London Marathon, but I don't know for sure if you can call that a stunt, but, I'm sure my crowd will be calling this stunt halfway through. So, we'll see how we go. >> Okay. [ unk ] Thank you Richard. I appreciated it. >> All right, thanks a lot. 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