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You assume you can buy happiness. Person A is not objectively better off, they're financially better off. Happiness isn't determined solely by bank balance. If

You assume you can buy happiness. Person A is not objectively better off, they're financially better off. Happiness isn't determined solely by bank balance. If what made him tick was a sense of purpose, of seeing the company he founded continue to grow there aren't many options apart from go back to the company, found a new one, or ??? Maybe option 2 is too much work, and without the carrot of a big payoff he'd lack the drive. You'd happily trade places because you believe money buys happiness. This person has learnt it does not.

ryandrake 3y ago
Money buys you the option to opt out of the things that don't bring you happiness and to go do whatever it is that does bring you happiness. For this guy, maybe it's "do another startup." Great! With $10M in the bank, he can just go do that! For me, I could quit my job (which does not bring me happiness) and maybe build a sailboat... or travel... or raise a family... Or whatever makes me happy. That's the option that money buys.
- halfmatthalfcat 3y ago
  The phrase "Mo money, mo problems" didn't come out nowhere. Sure, you can leverage the money to do things that could bring you happiness but you have no idea the long term effects (potentially subliminal) of having more.
- sebastianz 3y ago
  > For this guy, maybe it's "do another startup." Great! With $10M in the bank, he can just go do that! He touches on this in the article, he was interested in starting new projects but they went nowhere. So I am reading this as "no, he cannot just go do that", he is worried he only was able to do it the one time.
- nprateem 3y ago
  Or maybe it's none of those things and when you're busy working at least you have the dream that one day it'll be over and you can somehow be happy. If you actually live the dream you might actually find what you thought would make you happy doesn't cut it, and then you don't even have the dream.
adamsilkey 3y ago
Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it _does_ eliminate a set of problems that can impede one's happiness. Which is not to say that the person with money can't then find additional problems, or use the money such that they reintroduce a class of problems.

ryandrake 3y ago

Money buys you the option to opt out of the things that don't bring you happiness and to go do whatever it is that does bring you happiness. For this guy, maybe it's "do another startup." Great! With $10M in the bank, he can just go do that! For me, I could quit my job (which does not bring me happiness) and maybe build a sailboat... or travel... or raise a family... Or whatever makes me happy. That's the option that money buys.

halfmatthalfcat 3y ago
The phrase "Mo money, mo problems" didn't come out nowhere. Sure, you can leverage the money to do things that could bring you happiness but you have no idea the long term effects (potentially subliminal) of having more.
sebastianz 3y ago
> For this guy, maybe it's "do another startup." Great! With $10M in the bank, he can just go do that! He touches on this in the article, he was interested in starting new projects but they went nowhere. So I am reading this as "no, he cannot just go do that", he is worried he only was able to do it the one time.
nprateem 3y ago
Or maybe it's none of those things and when you're busy working at least you have the dream that one day it'll be over and you can somehow be happy. If you actually live the dream you might actually find what you thought would make you happy doesn't cut it, and then you don't even have the dream.

adamsilkey 3y ago

Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it _does_ eliminate a set of problems that can impede one's happiness. Which is not to say that the person with money can't then find additional problems, or use the money such that they reintroduce a class of problems.