Snowden is slated to speak at a real estate seminar today ( https://zoom.us/j/94712511524#success), & the run-up is full of "raise your hand if you want to be rich," exclusive "secret gifts" for signups (today only!), "my purpose in life is to create enlighten entrepreneurs," etc.

Snowden has previously done paid appearances at self-help events (below: from 8/2017), but this real estate seminar is on a completely different level than any I've seen before.

"If you don't want to grow your business — then don't get it [the audiobook the host was pumping]."

"Learning to take action when you're not ready is the key to do it [becoming rich]... If you're not interested in money, this seminar is not for you."

"Remember I said to you: 'We aren't going to sell you anything.'" (He said this a couple of times earlier in the seminar.)

Moments later: "I'm going to offer something to you that's unbelievable."

"If you upgrade to VIP right now... Tomorrow you're going to be able to come."

Host says upgrade (promo below) includes some sort of gold coin, an audiobook, and a private link to tomorrow's seminar.

bonus: He keeps saying that they can't say when Snowden is arriving at the event "for two reasons," and that one of them is "security."

Host says one person will win an autographed version of Snowden's memoir, adding: "By the way, he doesn't do that anymore."

If "anymore" means ever since February, then sure.

Some cursory research on the host:

'Sunil Tulsiani of Brampton, Ont. sold unregistered bonds as part of a $4,475,000 Ponzi scheme using "high pressure sales tactics" on 80 investors between 2008 and 2009, the [Ontario Securities Commission] found in 2012' https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/sunil-tulsiani-speaking-event-1.3940271

We've reached the new-speaker-making-it rain-with-absurdly-stiff-bills portion of the festivities.

"Everything [he is pitching] is legit. Everything is legal. Everything is ethical." (Ethics is a much-cited topic today.)

Same energy

"Content is important. Context is 100 times more important.

What do I mean by that? If you were to study [the] internet...

People tell me: 'Sunil, you are very inspirational.'"

To prove that Snowden is (eventually) going to appear at this seminar, host plays first few seconds of a recent video tweeted by Snowden that mentions the event at the top.

"I want to tell you that higher power, God, wants one thing from you... you actually doing the part."

NARRATOR: ?

At this point (5 hours in), i am thoroughly uncomfortable at the thought that this seminar and others like it will lead people to spend their money on this stuff.

We've reached the "i met Oprah" part of the festivities.

All things considered, i'm surprised he didn't play this card earlier.