I'm always interested in discussions about this topic on HN. I will toss this out there in hopes of fostering discussion of how to actually solve this problem:

I'm always interested in discussions about this topic on HN. I will toss this out there in hopes of fostering discussion of how to actually solve this problem: I think we would do well to develop some systems for helping people monetize their thing if it gets popular. But we could also work on the cultural side of this and help people understand that you need to think about how much you are willing to give and that if your thing gets popular, making money with it is an additional job to do, not an entitlement. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17824166 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17824166 I say that as someone who does a lot of stuff "for free" and hopes it will pay off because I'm handicapped and can't work on a schedule and can't do a normal job and blah blah blah. I keep hoping that if I deliver value, someday that will somehow lead to sufficient money for my needs. So I am not attacking people who feel they add value and should get money for it. I'm on their side. But the reality seems to be that extracting money from people is additional work on top of providing them with something of value, like it or not. I really wish we would get better about finding ways to uncouple certain things and help people who provide value to live comfortably. I recently left a comment on HN suggesting a lot of really aggravating products that cause problems are likely due to the fact "people gotta eat." https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33827984 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33827984 I would really love to live in a world where people doing genuinely valuable things and not great at selling get comfortable lives and people great at selling and happy to make the world worse by it would get actively encouraged to find a better way to live their lives. I just don't know how to get there from here.