4 ms·

Work hard in America just for a day to get it seized. That’s what America has become.

toomuchtodo 4y ago
No one becomes a billionaire through solely their own hard work, but by capturing the value of hard work of others at scale.
- leobg 4y ago
  1) Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. 2) Working hard means little. You can dig holes in the ground all day long. 3) Value is created by finding an unmet market for the labor that is available. It’s knowing where to dig that makes the digging valuable.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - boeingUH60 4y ago
    > Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. https://pagesix.com/2022/05/31/elon-musk-and-girlfriend-natasha-bassett-have-lunch-in-st-tropez/ https://pagesix.com/2022/05/31/elon-musk-and-girlfriend-nata... That's not to say he doesn't work a lot, but come on...
    - leobg 4y ago
      The point I was making is, this guy doesn’t work so he can afford to take a vacation. And he certainly doesn’t let other people work for him so that he can sleaze off at the beach. That’s a strawman argument, and I just can’t see how it applies here.
      - mirceal 4y ago
        > Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. You literally used this as an argument. Also, I don't think the problem is how much Musk works. If you ask me at the CEO level working "so hard" shows you don't really understand basic delegation techniques. He does work really hard to project the image he's working hard - I'll give you that. Also, no matter how hard you work you will never make billions off solely just your work. Ain't gonna happen. At some point you need to start exploiting people.
        leobg 4y ago
        I did use it as an argument. And you kind of one. I literally I have not seen these photos. Though, it seems he was there for just over 24 hours. Notification by duration, but ok, it’s Saint Tropez. And you’re right, of course. The amount somebody works really is meaningless.
        mirceal 4y ago
        I'm gonna print these pics out as a poster with the caption "what would elon do?"
        leobg 4y ago
        I did use it as an argument. And you kind of won. I literally I have not seen these photos. Though, it seems he was there for just over 24 hours. Notification by duration, but ok, it’s Saint Tropez. And you’re right, of course. The amount somebody works really doesn‘t mean a thing. After all, it‘s his own decision. And besides, most people do want to be useful. I mean, why are you here on HN discussing viewpoints with strangers? That‘s a kind of work, isn‘t it? As you say, there are good ways of working and bad ways. And there are certainly tasks that would deserve getting done much more than others. Which is yet another reason why the mere amount of „sweat“ can rarely be a measure for how much „good“ a person is doing. Edit: Spelling.
      - roflyear 4y ago
        That's not a point that's just a statement. Also you're arguing against a straw man.
  - goodpoint 4y ago
    Show us just one billionaire that became rich without having anybody work for him/her.
    - leobg 4y ago
      Show me the person brushing her teeth without anybody working for her. The phone I am typing this on was made by other people. So that one’s wealth depends on other people’s work isn’t the moral question, is it? It would be a question if it was forced labor. And perhaps would also be a question if a person‘s wealth was merely inherited, or if the person had come into this position in a way which was not open to other people as well.

No one becomes a billionaire through solely their own hard work, but by capturing the value of hard work of others at scale.

leobg 4y ago
1) Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. 2) Working hard means little. You can dig holes in the ground all day long. 3) Value is created by finding an unmet market for the labor that is available. It’s knowing where to dig that makes the digging valuable.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- boeingUH60 4y ago
  > Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. https://pagesix.com/2022/05/31/elon-musk-and-girlfriend-natasha-bassett-have-lunch-in-st-tropez/ https://pagesix.com/2022/05/31/elon-musk-and-girlfriend-nata... That's not to say he doesn't work a lot, but come on...
  - leobg 4y ago
    The point I was making is, this guy doesn’t work so he can afford to take a vacation. And he certainly doesn’t let other people work for him so that he can sleaze off at the beach. That’s a strawman argument, and I just can’t see how it applies here.
    - mirceal 4y ago
      > Elon works a lot. Show me one pic of him on vacation. You literally used this as an argument. Also, I don't think the problem is how much Musk works. If you ask me at the CEO level working "so hard" shows you don't really understand basic delegation techniques. He does work really hard to project the image he's working hard - I'll give you that. Also, no matter how hard you work you will never make billions off solely just your work. Ain't gonna happen. At some point you need to start exploiting people.
      - leobg 4y ago
        I did use it as an argument. And you kind of one. I literally I have not seen these photos. Though, it seems he was there for just over 24 hours. Notification by duration, but ok, it’s Saint Tropez. And you’re right, of course. The amount somebody works really is meaningless.
        mirceal 4y ago
        I'm gonna print these pics out as a poster with the caption "what would elon do?"
      - leobg 4y ago
        I did use it as an argument. And you kind of won. I literally I have not seen these photos. Though, it seems he was there for just over 24 hours. Notification by duration, but ok, it’s Saint Tropez. And you’re right, of course. The amount somebody works really doesn‘t mean a thing. After all, it‘s his own decision. And besides, most people do want to be useful. I mean, why are you here on HN discussing viewpoints with strangers? That‘s a kind of work, isn‘t it? As you say, there are good ways of working and bad ways. And there are certainly tasks that would deserve getting done much more than others. Which is yet another reason why the mere amount of „sweat“ can rarely be a measure for how much „good“ a person is doing. Edit: Spelling.
    - roflyear 4y ago
      That's not a point that's just a statement. Also you're arguing against a straw man.
- goodpoint 4y ago
  Show us just one billionaire that became rich without having anybody work for him/her.
  - leobg 4y ago
    Show me the person brushing her teeth without anybody working for her. The phone I am typing this on was made by other people. So that one’s wealth depends on other people’s work isn’t the moral question, is it? It would be a question if it was forced labor. And perhaps would also be a question if a person‘s wealth was merely inherited, or if the person had come into this position in a way which was not open to other people as well.