We should all be blessed with friends like my pal Stafford Masie. Energetic, enthusiastic and hugely knowledgeable, on a scale of smartness he's the only one of my pals whose intellect is in the same league as Simon Marais, the late chairman of Allan Gray. Stafford is deeply plugged into the tech world, a great advantage for his friends as he willingly helps the rest of us understand the big trends shaping the world. Our breakfast was a celebration of sorts. Stafford's most recent venture, the multibillion mobile payments product Thumbzup, is a huge success with its Absa relationship expanded to now include clients like Mr Price and even Uber.