I agree that it seems to be the case but I don't get it. Those who have worked hard enough to see cronyism in action (especially when it works against you) know

I agree that it seems to be the case but I don't get it. Those who have worked hard enough to see cronyism in action (especially when it works against you) know that billionaires did not really earn their money on an even playing field. IMO, it takes far more skill to be a millionaire than a billionaire these days. Being a billionaire is mostly about situational and social factors; proximity to the money printers and politicians. Without social connections, it's almost impossible to start a successful business nowadays. It's like a miracle when it happens because all the big capital is working against you; the easy-money-machines are constantly sucking away all the talent, all the investors, all the business connections away from you and constantly chipping away at your confidence and that of whoever decides to collaborate with you in spite of all this. The kinds of people who are willing to collaborate with a nobody on such projects genuinely believe that they will fail. They're prepared to work 50 years on something and see it fail completely. They know it's an all-or-nothing deal, the billionaires have turned the economy into an all-or-nothing scheme. At this stage, I'm satisfied with the idea of success being "would have been a success in a world without manipulation of the monetary system." Maybe a bet you make today will pay off for someone else in 200 years; that will be success.