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It seems like the article totally misses the obvious explanation, which is that these people became wealthy by doing things that they enjoy and are passionate a

It seems like the article totally misses the obvious explanation, which is that these people became wealthy by doing things that they enjoy and are passionate about, which just happen to also pay them money. Maybe the people during the dot-com boom whose plan was to make $2M then retire to Napa Valley did exactly that, and by definition, never became billionaires. There are probably billionaires who don't enjoy their work, but I suspect they aren't common.

LinuxBender 7y ago
This comment hits the nail on the head. The few billionaires I know love what they do. They are way beyond the retirement age and are still spinning up new businesses all the time.
- Miner49er 7y ago
  I think this argument is more about why they continue trying to make money, not "working" because it's something they enjoy. Why are they spinning up businesses instead of non-profits or cooperatives? I think that's what this article is exploring.
  - LinuxBender 7y ago
    > why they continue trying to make money That is just a by-product of doing what they enjoy. They certainly spend it and donate a lot of it. > Why are they spinning up businesses instead of non-profits or cooperatives? They do both.
- phkahler 7y ago
  So how do they describe what they do? Are they creating, providing, competing, building, accumulating, controlling, etc... I doubt they're all the same. How do they see their own efforts? Just curious.
  - LinuxBender 7y ago
    They are creating new technologies and contributing to society in many ways (job creation, business optimization and much more). Accumulating is probably another side effect of growing their creations. I don't think they give it much thought. The ones I know are actually kindof the same. You would not know their status by seeing them on the street. Controlling does not describe them at all. The word I would use is empowering.
bryanlarsen 7y ago
To make your point more strongly, I think that most rich people do in fact stop working. Most people don't hit the $2M net worth mark until after the age of 55, so when they stop working it's just called "retirement" and nobody remarks on it.

LinuxBender 7y ago

This comment hits the nail on the head. The few billionaires I know love what they do. They are way beyond the retirement age and are still spinning up new businesses all the time.

Miner49er 7y ago
I think this argument is more about why they continue trying to make money, not "working" because it's something they enjoy. Why are they spinning up businesses instead of non-profits or cooperatives? I think that's what this article is exploring.
- LinuxBender 7y ago
  > why they continue trying to make money That is just a by-product of doing what they enjoy. They certainly spend it and donate a lot of it. > Why are they spinning up businesses instead of non-profits or cooperatives? They do both.
phkahler 7y ago
So how do they describe what they do? Are they creating, providing, competing, building, accumulating, controlling, etc... I doubt they're all the same. How do they see their own efforts? Just curious.
- LinuxBender 7y ago
  They are creating new technologies and contributing to society in many ways (job creation, business optimization and much more). Accumulating is probably another side effect of growing their creations. I don't think they give it much thought. The ones I know are actually kindof the same. You would not know their status by seeing them on the street. Controlling does not describe them at all. The word I would use is empowering.

bryanlarsen 7y ago

To make your point more strongly, I think that most rich people do in fact stop working. Most people don't hit the $2M net worth mark until after the age of 55, so when they stop working it's just called "retirement" and nobody remarks on it.