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Because getting to the point of being a successful business is a really long road, and going down it with someone whose primary motivation is to make money for

Because getting to the point of being a successful business is a really long road, and going down it with someone whose primary motivation is to make money for themselves is going to make that trip way less fulfilling.

vonmoltke 10y ago
I assume everyone starting or working for a for-profit business is primarily (though not solely) motivated to make money for themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn't be starting or working at a for-profit business.
- swombat 10y ago
  That assumption doesn't bear out in practice, in my experience. There are plenty of people who believe that for-profit businesses can also achieve great, positive purposes in the world, and want to be a part of it. Cases in point: Tesla and SpaceX. They aren't charities. They are very purposeful.
  - vonmoltke 10y ago
    Charity vs. for-profit is a false dichotomy. A charity is a specific form of non-profit. In addition, there is the (relatively new) benefit corporation which, while technically for-profit, has explicit non-financial goals. That said, nothing about being motivated by money means you can't have a purpose as well. That's why I was careful to draw a distinction between "solely" and "primarily". Making money while also improving the world is just enlightened self-interest.
  - Phlarp 10y ago
    Tesla and SpaceX are both massive exceptions to the rule, not examples of the norm. You are not Tesla or SpaceX.
    - brianwawok 10y ago
      And in fact if you want to write code that goes to space, you have 4 or 5 options top in the US? Vs many other business models (webapps for music) there may be 50 or 100.
  - lgieron 10y ago
    > Cases in point: Tesla and SpaceX. They aren't charities. They are very purposeful. Those are just two companies, ran by the same guy. I think finding even a couple dozen more examples would be very difficult.
    - swombat 10y ago
      Have a look at the companies listed halfway down the page on http://danieltenner.com/open-cultures/ http://danieltenner.com/open-cultures/ . Not all qualify as purposeful orgs, but quite a few do. Reinventing Organisations, mentioned on this page too, is a book that studies a dozen examples of purposeful, open culture organisations, if you're interested in learning more about this.
  - rhizome 10y ago
    Funnily enough, Elon has a reputation for paying below market.

vonmoltke 10y ago

I assume everyone starting or working for a for-profit business is primarily (though not solely) motivated to make money for themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn't be starting or working at a for-profit business.

swombat 10y ago
That assumption doesn't bear out in practice, in my experience. There are plenty of people who believe that for-profit businesses can also achieve great, positive purposes in the world, and want to be a part of it. Cases in point: Tesla and SpaceX. They aren't charities. They are very purposeful.
- vonmoltke 10y ago
  Charity vs. for-profit is a false dichotomy. A charity is a specific form of non-profit. In addition, there is the (relatively new) benefit corporation which, while technically for-profit, has explicit non-financial goals. That said, nothing about being motivated by money means you can't have a purpose as well. That's why I was careful to draw a distinction between "solely" and "primarily". Making money while also improving the world is just enlightened self-interest.
- Phlarp 10y ago
  Tesla and SpaceX are both massive exceptions to the rule, not examples of the norm. You are not Tesla or SpaceX.
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    And in fact if you want to write code that goes to space, you have 4 or 5 options top in the US? Vs many other business models (webapps for music) there may be 50 or 100.
- lgieron 10y ago
  > Cases in point: Tesla and SpaceX. They aren't charities. They are very purposeful. Those are just two companies, ran by the same guy. I think finding even a couple dozen more examples would be very difficult.
  - swombat 10y ago
    Have a look at the companies listed halfway down the page on http://danieltenner.com/open-cultures/ http://danieltenner.com/open-cultures/ . Not all qualify as purposeful orgs, but quite a few do. Reinventing Organisations, mentioned on this page too, is a book that studies a dozen examples of purposeful, open culture organisations, if you're interested in learning more about this.
- rhizome 10y ago
  Funnily enough, Elon has a reputation for paying below market.