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> The "visionary/great man" ideal is just good PR. I reject that proposition. It's how record labels (investors, etc.) gaslight their artists (founders, etc.)
by 6figurelenins 4y ago
> The "visionary/great man" ideal is just good PR.
I reject that proposition. It's how record labels (investors, etc.) gaslight their artists (founders, etc.) into signing bad deals.
The businessman ("anthropomorphized lawnmower"[1]) has excellent PR. What interests him is an ownership stake in your vision and execution.
> “From the beginning of [Dischord Records], people have said that the way we do things is unsustainable, unrealistic, idealistic, and we were just dreaming,” he said. “Well, the dream is now 35 years old, so they can go fuck themselves.”[2]
-- Ian MacKaye (2016)
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040429 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040429
[2] https://www.avclub.com/buttholes-and-lawyers-how-a-lawsuit-threatened-the-ind-1798246800 https://www.avclub.com/buttholes-and-lawyers-how-a-lawsuit-t...
- svnt 4y agoBoth can be true, depending on the regime of operation. A credible relationship (such as an individual bringing value) can be (and has been) exploited by individuals who want more money for themselves. Another credible relationship (that the network is the value) can be exploited by individuals who control the choke points. Your examples are where individuals control the choke points, introducing artificial controls and preventing the healthy accrual of benefits to the whole structure.
- 6figurelenins 4y agoI think you're pointing out that sometimes the jerk with leverage is not a large enterprise. I can stipulate; this is why running companies is hard. Adversity exists. I don't think it diminishes my assertion that visionaries do, too.