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Jeff Bezos: Out of touch with reality since 1999

by confluence 11y ago

weavie 11y ago
I don't think he would be worth $50b if he really was out of touch.
- ranci 11y ago
  There are plenty of out of touch billionaire dinosaurs. Google Sheldon Adelson. Google Robert Kraft. He remains 100% convinced that nobody below him has ever violated any rules or cheated. Having billions of dollars is the quickest path to becoming an out of touch dinosaur.
  - 1arity 11y ago
    Out of touch with what? I think the person who is out of touch with reality is the person who doesn't know how to get what they want from reality. And who doesn't want " 1 billion dollars " ?
    - demachina 11y ago
      I don’t, especially when you experience the things you will have to do to get it and keep it. You might want to read some thoughts from a guy named Siddhartha. Craving a billion dollars is just going to make you miserable until you get it, and then when you have it you will crave another billion or something equally toxic to your well being. Money and spending it is just another kind of drug. Once you have it and all the stuff you can buy with it you will become an addict. You will then crave a new and bigger high trying to acquire or spend even more of it. You know what kind of stuff junkies do to get a fix, billionaires are pretty similar, hence this topic we are discussing here today. Its way better to stay grounded, do the things you love, and enjoy life. If you can make a billion doing that then you probably should take it, but it shouldn’t be your goal in life unless you want to turn in to a complete ass.
      - 1arity 11y ago
        Wanting it is one thing. Do you have the skill to get it is another? People talk a lot of trash excusing themselves for not having the skill to get it, pretending that they never wanted it. You only have the luxury of the choice you talk of, when you really have that choice, when you could make that billion, and then you renounce it. Otherwise, it's just kidding yourself. Think on that, grasshopper.
        demachina 11y ago
        So true. There is certainly skill involved, one of them is almost certainly the ability and willingness to exploit your fellow human beings. I'm completely lacking in that skill so, woe is me, I will never make a billion. It seems I will have to settle for doing the things I love, enjoying life, as I strive to avoid screwing people. You do seem to be the sensei of trolldom and to have found your one true skill.
    - eropple 11y ago
      > And who doesn't want " 1 billion dollars " ? I don't. I want to do good, do well, and be respected and loved by the people I care about. Enough money to not worry about things would be nice, and that's basically what I'm working towards. A billion dollars is not necessary for that.
      - 1arity 11y ago
        Well if you can get that from reality -- that's your "$1b" -- if you can get what you want, that is the key, is it not? :) Who doesn't want success may be a more apt way of putting it. Or even, who __wants__ to be frustrated and __not__ get what they want?
  - AJ007 11y ago
    There is a danger as an individual ascends whatever latter of success to believe that they are there because they are right and everyone else is wrong. The linear nature money makes this measurement becomes especially problematic. If someone falls in to this trap it will be evident because they begin to have trouble solving problems, or they solve them in disastrous ways. Many, many examples especially if you look outside the U.S. at countries with high corruption levels. (In the U.S. too with very high profile con men and tax evaders.)
- logfromblammo 11y ago
  It is likely that he didn't lose his last contact with the reality faced by the commoners until after he built the foundation for that wealth. At a certain point, personal wealth becomes largely self-perpetuating, without further conscious efforts, and ultra-rich people can also acquire a bubble of intermediaries that insulate them from the commoners and their ordinary problems. They can always afford the durable goods or services that solve those problems effortlessly. And the people around them may simply pre-emptively order those solutions on their behalf before the problem actually manifests. The skills you need to earn your living expenses when you already have $50G are very different from those you need when you have $50.

Jeff Bezos: Out of touch with reality since 1999

weavie 11y ago

I don't think he would be worth $50b if he really was out of touch.

ranci 11y ago
There are plenty of out of touch billionaire dinosaurs. Google Sheldon Adelson. Google Robert Kraft. He remains 100% convinced that nobody below him has ever violated any rules or cheated. Having billions of dollars is the quickest path to becoming an out of touch dinosaur.
- 1arity 11y ago
  Out of touch with what? I think the person who is out of touch with reality is the person who doesn't know how to get what they want from reality. And who doesn't want " 1 billion dollars " ?
  - demachina 11y ago
    I don’t, especially when you experience the things you will have to do to get it and keep it. You might want to read some thoughts from a guy named Siddhartha. Craving a billion dollars is just going to make you miserable until you get it, and then when you have it you will crave another billion or something equally toxic to your well being. Money and spending it is just another kind of drug. Once you have it and all the stuff you can buy with it you will become an addict. You will then crave a new and bigger high trying to acquire or spend even more of it. You know what kind of stuff junkies do to get a fix, billionaires are pretty similar, hence this topic we are discussing here today. Its way better to stay grounded, do the things you love, and enjoy life. If you can make a billion doing that then you probably should take it, but it shouldn’t be your goal in life unless you want to turn in to a complete ass.
    - 1arity 11y ago
      Wanting it is one thing. Do you have the skill to get it is another? People talk a lot of trash excusing themselves for not having the skill to get it, pretending that they never wanted it. You only have the luxury of the choice you talk of, when you really have that choice, when you could make that billion, and then you renounce it. Otherwise, it's just kidding yourself. Think on that, grasshopper.
      - demachina 11y ago
        So true. There is certainly skill involved, one of them is almost certainly the ability and willingness to exploit your fellow human beings. I'm completely lacking in that skill so, woe is me, I will never make a billion. It seems I will have to settle for doing the things I love, enjoying life, as I strive to avoid screwing people. You do seem to be the sensei of trolldom and to have found your one true skill.
  - eropple 11y ago
    > And who doesn't want " 1 billion dollars " ? I don't. I want to do good, do well, and be respected and loved by the people I care about. Enough money to not worry about things would be nice, and that's basically what I'm working towards. A billion dollars is not necessary for that.
    - 1arity 11y ago
      Well if you can get that from reality -- that's your "$1b" -- if you can get what you want, that is the key, is it not? :) Who doesn't want success may be a more apt way of putting it. Or even, who __wants__ to be frustrated and __not__ get what they want?
- AJ007 11y ago
  There is a danger as an individual ascends whatever latter of success to believe that they are there because they are right and everyone else is wrong. The linear nature money makes this measurement becomes especially problematic. If someone falls in to this trap it will be evident because they begin to have trouble solving problems, or they solve them in disastrous ways. Many, many examples especially if you look outside the U.S. at countries with high corruption levels. (In the U.S. too with very high profile con men and tax evaders.)
logfromblammo 11y ago
It is likely that he didn't lose his last contact with the reality faced by the commoners until after he built the foundation for that wealth. At a certain point, personal wealth becomes largely self-perpetuating, without further conscious efforts, and ultra-rich people can also acquire a bubble of intermediaries that insulate them from the commoners and their ordinary problems. They can always afford the durable goods or services that solve those problems effortlessly. And the people around them may simply pre-emptively order those solutions on their behalf before the problem actually manifests. The skills you need to earn your living expenses when you already have $50G are very different from those you need when you have $50.