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The other conclusion is that running a business is fucking hard for most people and that these businesses are started by do gooders, opportunists but ultimately
by pwaai 9y ago
The other conclusion is that running a business is fucking hard for most people and that these businesses are started by do gooders, opportunists but ultimately playing the lottery.
It explains why those with access to capital or people with capital are more likely to succeed as a result of being able to play the lottery over and over.
Google & Facebook founders did not come from a struggling American family (Sergei or Larry's family comes from the Soviet elite) and none of the "ivy league dropouts" had any pressure (twitch.tv justin's comment how he was unmotivated throughout uni) to be something their socioeconomic class determined for them.
Finally, Theranos is a clear illustration of economic lineage taking place--having a rich powerful daddy with other daddies tends to produce consistent wins, often through sheer will and structural reinforcements that inevitably sets conditions for even the most incompetent children of the elite to succeed.
It's starting to feel like, a lot of us are getting into the startup game and realizing it's just another vehicle of transferring wealth generated with your life so they can buy a horse ranch or private plane.
- myth_drannon 9y agoSergei's parents were Soviet Jews, that's on the opposite spectrum from Soviet elites. Well educated - yes, but not elites.
- sattoshi 9y agoJews disproportionatily comprised the upper echelons of soviet politics, what do you mean?
- stoic 9y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Jewish_pogroms_in_the_Russian_Empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Jewish_pogroms_in_the_Rus...
- umanwizard 9y agoThis article is about events that took place before the Soviet Union was established.
- pwaai 9y agoI'm missing information on what being a Jew in USSR entails so I concede that they may not have been part of the elite (I thought working for USSR propaganda machine would put you far ahead of the pack). I just thought being able to afford a commodore 64 back then already put you well ahead of the curve, in the 80s, but again this was after they arrived in the US, not much info on this.
- googletazer 9y agoSoviet elite? You gotta be fucking kidding me. The reason Sergey's and Larry's parents even came to America was why USSR collapsed - the system started putting spikes on the roads of talented (or presumably talented) people. How many excuses can you make?