Comment by ds_
Comment by ds_ a day ago
Not sure why you're being downvoted, because you're absolutely right.
Comment by ds_ a day ago
Not sure why you're being downvoted, because you're absolutely right.
I don't agree. They didn't get rich by creating value. They might have created value, but they got rich by keeping that value to themselves.
I would also argue that they don't create the value themselves, but their workers do. Just like that joke: a worker is admiring the boss's Ferrari, and the boss tells him "if you continue working hard, next year I'll have 2"
> They didn't get rich by creating value. They might have created value…
Odd to contradict yourself with only a period separating the contradictory statements.
> I would also argue that they don't create the value themselves, but their workers do.
Sure, that’s fair - but those workers also have jobs and salaries because of risk the founders took to de-risk the company before the employees joined.
The level of risk required is not everyone’s cup of tea.
I also create value but am not as rich. Maybe they extracted value from society by unethical means to acquire that much of it?
> Most regular participants on HN are employees, not wannabe billionaires.
You can be both and it would be interesting to see the breakdown of aspirations.
Certainly as the tide of public opinion has turned hard against tech and tech billionaires in the last 5 years, the dominant demographic on HN seems less and less aware of how out-of-touch they are with public opinion at large.
I read the comments here all day and it's pretty clear to me that overall opinion is weighted fairly strongly against tech billionaires and big tech company leaders on HN, as much or even more than it is among the broader population.
If you have a recent discussion thread or subthread that demonstrates that the “dominant demographic on HN seems less and less aware of how out-of-touch they are with public opinion”, I'd be interested to know about it so I can get an understanding of what you mean.
I suspect it's an assumption based on stereotypes about what kind of people would be interested in a Silicon Valley-based tech-focused discussion forum, but if it was ever accurate, and perhaps it was in the early days of YC/HN, it's not that way any more.
The current top-10 billionaires on Forbes' list all got rich by creating value, though some like Larry Ellison certainly did both.