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> He used money he hoarded from another venture to allow the thousands of engineers to build it. Anyone can do that. So why didn't they? > And I'm 100% sure B

> He used money he hoarded from another venture to allow the thousands of engineers to build it. Anyone can do that. So why didn't they? > And I'm 100% sure Bezos was not the one that came up with the idea either. He just benefited from being in a position of power with tons of capital at the right time. Same question again. What in your opinion, is a bet that you can make right now, today, that will lead to another Amazon? Or maybe even something bigger? I have a similar amount of capital as Bezos did free and ready to go to when he started Amazon, even inflation adjusted. I probably have a lot more power than he did at the same time since I am actually a manager of a few engineers which he was not. Are you going to make that bet?

Draiken 3y ago
Am I going to be back in those times where that capital was a lot? Where what we have today isn't there? Will I have access to the contacts and his network? Let me guess: no? What an odd request. This is such a lazy argument. > So why didn't they? The truth of the matter is: they couldn't. Bezos, Musk and Bill Gates were perfectly positioned to do what they did. You don't even hear about the hundreds of others that had the same (or better) ideas, that didn't have the capital, the connections, or even the timing. This hero worship makes zero sense. If Bezos wasn't already rich, Amazon wouldn't exist. If Bill Gates didn't have contacts inside IBM, Microsoft wouldn't be what it is. If Elon didn't grow up filthy rich, he wouldn't be the world's richest man. I know it's easier to believe the good old "work hard and you'll be rewarded" adage, but it's a plain lie. We have multiple orders of magnitude more of hard workers compared to billionaires (or even millionaires) to prove that. No, it's not because they were geniuses or hard workers. They might've even been that, it's beyond the point. They were plain lucky. In today's society, previous capital is the best predictor of success there is. Not intelligence. Not hard work.
- cosmojg 3y ago
  You're right that the hero worship doesn't make much sense as the economy for successful megaenterprise is a bit of a lottery. However, you very well could build the next big thing today. We're literally having this discussion on a website owned and operated by a startup accelerator, the entire purpose of which is to provide a network for making business connections and accessing capital. Like Bezos and Musk, however, you're going to have to risk some of your own time and money if you want to get anywhere, and like their thousands of contemporaries who were trying to accomplish the same things they did, you're more likely to fail than succeed. It is truly a lottery, but that isn't what makes it unfair. > In today's society, previous capital is the best predictor of success there is. Not intelligence. Not hard work. Absolutely! However, those latter two things help a lot with generating the former, if not for yourself, then maybe for your children. Who knows, you might raise the next Bezos or Musk! Probably not, but maybe! At the very least, you'll throw money away helping your kid do something they enjoy. Alas, it is inescapably true that money begets money, but that's why I emphasize a tax on zero-sum harm and hoarding (e.g., burning coal, buying land) to the benefit of positive-sum productive investment (e.g., taking risks, paying salaries).

Draiken 3y ago

Am I going to be back in those times where that capital was a lot? Where what we have today isn't there? Will I have access to the contacts and his network? Let me guess: no? What an odd request. This is such a lazy argument. > So why didn't they? The truth of the matter is: they couldn't. Bezos, Musk and Bill Gates were perfectly positioned to do what they did. You don't even hear about the hundreds of others that had the same (or better) ideas, that didn't have the capital, the connections, or even the timing. This hero worship makes zero sense. If Bezos wasn't already rich, Amazon wouldn't exist. If Bill Gates didn't have contacts inside IBM, Microsoft wouldn't be what it is. If Elon didn't grow up filthy rich, he wouldn't be the world's richest man. I know it's easier to believe the good old "work hard and you'll be rewarded" adage, but it's a plain lie. We have multiple orders of magnitude more of hard workers compared to billionaires (or even millionaires) to prove that. No, it's not because they were geniuses or hard workers. They might've even been that, it's beyond the point. They were plain lucky. In today's society, previous capital is the best predictor of success there is. Not intelligence. Not hard work.

cosmojg 3y ago
You're right that the hero worship doesn't make much sense as the economy for successful megaenterprise is a bit of a lottery. However, you very well could build the next big thing today. We're literally having this discussion on a website owned and operated by a startup accelerator, the entire purpose of which is to provide a network for making business connections and accessing capital. Like Bezos and Musk, however, you're going to have to risk some of your own time and money if you want to get anywhere, and like their thousands of contemporaries who were trying to accomplish the same things they did, you're more likely to fail than succeed. It is truly a lottery, but that isn't what makes it unfair. > In today's society, previous capital is the best predictor of success there is. Not intelligence. Not hard work. Absolutely! However, those latter two things help a lot with generating the former, if not for yourself, then maybe for your children. Who knows, you might raise the next Bezos or Musk! Probably not, but maybe! At the very least, you'll throw money away helping your kid do something they enjoy. Alas, it is inescapably true that money begets money, but that's why I emphasize a tax on zero-sum harm and hoarding (e.g., burning coal, buying land) to the benefit of positive-sum productive investment (e.g., taking risks, paying salaries).