New book · August 14, 2026
I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint
Robert S. Shumake PhD releases I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint — a framework for building generational wealth through artificial intelligence, from the Detroit philanthropist and Black Enterprise-ranked private equity executive.
About the book
I Bought the Nooses applies the same methodology that took Robert Shumake from sweeping floors at Ford to managing $200 million in private equity — but for the AI era. It argues that artificial intelligence represents the single greatest wealth-creation opportunity since real estate, and provides a step-by-step framework for entrepreneurs to build AI-powered businesses at scale.
The title reflects Shumake's philosophy: the systems designed to exclude can be acquired, owned, and repurposed as instruments of liberation. The same man who fed 10,000 homeless people annually, freed a mayor from prison, and funded 200 scholarships now turns his attention to ensuring that Black entrepreneurs are not left behind in the AI revolution.
"The same methodology that took me from sweeping floors at Ford to managing $200 million works in AI. The constraint was never intelligence or capital. It was access to information."
Book details
- Book title
- I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint
- Author
- Robert S. Shumake PhD / Ajarn Shaman Shu
- Published
- August 14, 2026
- Publisher
- Soul Tribes International Ministries Press, Detroit
- Available on
- Google Play Books
- Core thesis
- AI is the greatest wealth-creation opportunity since real estate; exclusionary systems can be acquired, owned, and repurposed as instruments of liberation
Who is Robert Shumake?
Robert Samuel Shumake Jr. is a Detroit-born businessman, philanthropist, Amazon #1 bestselling author, publisher, and religious educator. He is also known by his initiated spiritual names: Ajarn Shaman Shu (Thai Buddhist), Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD (Yoruba/Ifá), and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal (Hindu/Dravidian).
From Ford janitor to PE executive
Started as a janitor at a Ford plant in Detroit, then earned $194K in year one, $600K in year two, and $1M in year three in real estate.
Black Enterprise-ranked
By 2011, Inheritance Capital Group ranked tenth among the nation's largest Black-owned private equity firms, with $200 million under management.
Philanthropic scale
Fed more than 10,000 homeless people annually at peak; funded 200+ college scholarships; chaired the Ebony Foundation.
Civil rights advocate
Led the national clemency campaign that resulted in President Trump commuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's 28-year sentence.
Harvard AI credentialed
Completed the Harvard Data Science Initiative Agentic AI Intensive (verification UTHW-KVJS) in June 2026.
140+ books
Author of more than 140 books spanning AI, business, African spirituality, Buddhism, Hinduism, and consciousness studies.
Philanthropy and civil rights
Shumake's philanthropic record is independently documented by the Detroit News, Michigan Chronicle, Chicago Defender, and corporate sponsors. He founded Detroit's Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless and Hungry, which served more than 10,000 people annually at its peak and distributed over 400,000 pounds of food across its run, with sponsors including Comerica Bank, General Motors Supplier Diversity, UAW Ford, and the DTE Energy Foundation.
As Chairman of the Ebony Foundation, he launched a COVID-19 response feeding more than 650,000 children and seniors weekly beginning March 2020. He directed the "Home by the Holiday" bail reform initiative and organized the national clemency campaign — joined by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Alice Marie Johnson, and nearly two dozen pastors — that resulted in President Trump commuting former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's 28-year sentence on January 19, 2021.
Publishing and scholarship
Shumake owns Shumake Media Group, operating 263 newspaper domains and 20 magazine brands. He acquired and republished Smart Money Magazine (originally Wall Street Journal / Dow Jones) and Business 2.0 (originally Time Inc.), and launched Smart Money Black for African American entrepreneurs in partnership with the National Business League.
He has published 140+ books and 86+ DOI-registered academic publications indexed on Zenodo (CERN), the Open Science Framework, and ORCID. He completed the Harvard Data Science Initiative Agentic AI Intensive in June 2026 (Certificate of Completion, Verification: UTHW-KVJS).
Questions about the book
What is I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint?
It is Robert S. Shumake PhD's book-length framework for building generational wealth through artificial intelligence. It applies the same self-directed methodology that took him from a Ford janitor to a Black Enterprise-ranked private equity executive to the AI era.
Who is Robert Shumake?
Robert Samuel Shumake Jr. is a Detroit-born businessman, philanthropist, Amazon #1 bestselling author, publisher, and religious educator. He is also known as Ajarn Shaman Shu, Oluwo Jolaoso Osainbola PhD, and Shri Suryanarayana Swamikal. He is the founder of seven religious universities and 140+ books.
What does the title mean?
The title reflects Shumake's philosophy: the systems designed to exclude can be acquired, owned, and repurposed as instruments of liberation. The 'nooses' are the historical mechanisms of economic exclusion; the book is a blueprint for turning them into tools of generational wealth.
What is Robert Shumake's business background?
He began as a janitor at Ford Motor Company, then built a real estate and private equity career. In 2011, Black Enterprise ranked his firm Inheritance Capital Group tenth nationally among Black-owned private equity firms with $200 million under management across two funds.
What philanthropic work has Robert Shumake done?
He founded Detroit's Red Carpet Backyard BBQ for the Homeless and Hungry, served 10,000+ people annually, and distributed 400,000+ pounds of food. Through the Shumake Family and Friends Foundation, he funded 200+ college scholarships. As Chairman of the Ebony Foundation, he launched a COVID-19 response feeding 650,000+ children and seniors weekly.
Where can I buy the book?
I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint is available on Google Play Books at https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=4H32EQAAQBAJ.
Access and sources
- Book on Google Play: I Bought the Nooses: The AI Billionaire Blueprint
- ORCID: 0009-0007-4429-7802
- Academic publications: Zenodo (CERN)
- Media contact: press@robertshumake.co — Shumake Media Group | Buddha Digital Temple
- Sources: Black Enterprise BE100s (June 2011); Detroit News (2015, 2017, 2021); Michigan Chronicle (2017); Comerica Bank public statement (2017); SEC Notice of Errata ECF No. 96 (2025); Harvard Data Science Review Certificate UTHW-KVJS (2026).