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What you need to do is come to New York, meet some very rich people, learn how they think and operate, and observe what they do to keep and grow their levels of

What you need to do is come to New York, meet some very rich people, learn how they think and operate, and observe what they do to keep and grow their levels of power. It's not as hard as it sounds. It is expensive, but it's not difficult. There are apartments selling for $100 million. Who lives in those? How did they get there? What are their stories? The answers are not what middle-class Americans think (hard work! pure luck!) but you don't exactly have to become one of them (almost impossible) to learn how they do things. They don't even bother to hide it anymore. After about 5 years, you'll realize that most of the "effortless" rises are cases of people who learn something damning about a powerful person and leverage it into all kinds of social currencies. Stupid extortion: "Give me $10 million or I'll reveal <X>." That's far too direct and really dumb. You go to jail for that. Smarter (if still evil) extortion: "Hi. You may not remember me but I was with you on January 24, 2007 in New York when <X>. Those were fun times, no? I heard that a lot of venture capitalists attend your winter party in Aspen. I'd like to attend, because I'm looking to start my own company." That's how 90+ percent of the most successful people got where they are.

theorique 14y ago
That makes a lot of sense. I'm not in NY but I do see this among the very wealthiest people I know. In a lot of ways, frats and university clubs do similar things, formally and informally. When people do embarrassing, dangerous, illegal, or immature things together, it bonds them in interesting and tight ways. One can imagine that if it was 1999 and you had been one of GWB's close Yale or MBA buddies who had blown a snowstorm of cocaine together, and you called him up for a little favor or consideration, that such a thing might come through rather quickly and discreetly.

theorique 14y ago

That makes a lot of sense. I'm not in NY but I do see this among the very wealthiest people I know. In a lot of ways, frats and university clubs do similar things, formally and informally. When people do embarrassing, dangerous, illegal, or immature things together, it bonds them in interesting and tight ways. One can imagine that if it was 1999 and you had been one of GWB's close Yale or MBA buddies who had blown a snowstorm of cocaine together, and you called him up for a little favor or consideration, that such a thing might come through rather quickly and discreetly.