4 ms·

There's rich people, and then there's the ultra rich people. It just doesn't seem possible to become a billionaire through ethical means.

renewiltord 3y ago
James Patterson just wrote books people like and he’s a billionaire. Are murder stories unethical or something?
- Philpax 3y ago
  Does he write his own books, though? [0] [1] [2] It's his name on the front of the book, but he is not necessarily the primary author. That sounds a little unethical to me. [0] https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/380231/James-Patterson-the-best-seller-who-doesn-t-write-his-own-books https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/380231/James-P... [1] https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-need-to-write-much-to-be-the-worlds-bestselling-author-75261 https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-need-to-write-much-... [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/james-patterson-a7665576.html https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/featu...
  - renewiltord 3y ago
    Stephen King then? Or J K Rowling? They became billionaires off their work and wrote all their own work if image rights are unethical to you. Taylor Swift, perhaps? Paul McCartney. You only need one example to disprove the case. It doesn’t seem ridiculous that if you make something and charge $10 and 100 million people pay you that you’re necessarily doing something unethical.
    - jjj123 3y ago
      I don’t think any of them have done something unethical to earn their billion, but artist billionaires are certainly outliers. They’re such outliers that it’s still a safe assumption someone has done something exploitative if they’re a billionaire.
htss2013 3y ago
Why can't you be a millionaire who becomes a billionare through compound interest? If university endowments can do it so can individuals.
- smegger001 3y ago
  Several reasons firstly Universities arent mortal individuals that live a 80 to at most 110 years, these are institutions that many of which predate the countries they are in. Secondly they are receiving endowments from many individuals and organizations on top of tuitions and cuts off the top of grants researcher working there receive. Thirdly they arent just getting simple compound intrest from money setting in a savings account instead they run private equity funds and hedge funds, which are themselves morally suspect

renewiltord 3y ago

James Patterson just wrote books people like and he’s a billionaire. Are murder stories unethical or something?

Philpax 3y ago
Does he write his own books, though? [0] [1] [2] It's his name on the front of the book, but he is not necessarily the primary author. That sounds a little unethical to me. [0] https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/380231/James-Patterson-the-best-seller-who-doesn-t-write-his-own-books https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/books/380231/James-P... [1] https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-need-to-write-much-to-be-the-worlds-bestselling-author-75261 https://theconversation.com/why-you-dont-need-to-write-much-... [2] https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/james-patterson-a7665576.html https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/featu...
- renewiltord 3y ago
  Stephen King then? Or J K Rowling? They became billionaires off their work and wrote all their own work if image rights are unethical to you. Taylor Swift, perhaps? Paul McCartney. You only need one example to disprove the case. It doesn’t seem ridiculous that if you make something and charge $10 and 100 million people pay you that you’re necessarily doing something unethical.
  - jjj123 3y ago
    I don’t think any of them have done something unethical to earn their billion, but artist billionaires are certainly outliers. They’re such outliers that it’s still a safe assumption someone has done something exploitative if they’re a billionaire.

htss2013 3y ago

Why can't you be a millionaire who becomes a billionare through compound interest? If university endowments can do it so can individuals.

smegger001 3y ago
Several reasons firstly Universities arent mortal individuals that live a 80 to at most 110 years, these are institutions that many of which predate the countries they are in. Secondly they are receiving endowments from many individuals and organizations on top of tuitions and cuts off the top of grants researcher working there receive. Thirdly they arent just getting simple compound intrest from money setting in a savings account instead they run private equity funds and hedge funds, which are themselves morally suspect