Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't know if you intentionally switched from billionaire to millionaire, but it seems entirely possible (and even somewhat common) to become a mere millionaire by actions and careers that most would consider virtuous combined with sound saving and investing strategies. I don't know if my parents are actually millionaires or not, but if not, they're not far off and they were both public school teachers whose parent…
if someone considers making a billion dollars to be some form of social theft, then making a million dollars by giving $100,000 to a fund manager .. may also constitute social theft for that critic.
Using your example, a billionaire doesn’t hand 1,000 more dollars to a hedge fund manager and get 1,000 times more wealth amplification. They hire a team of accountants and lawyers to do 1,000 times that base amplification each.
Making 100k and having a stock based retirement plan is an open drainage from the wealth factory, it definitely has access to the same levers, but it’s effectively the equivalent of a pension, just managed in the marketplace according to marketplace rules. That earning category is basically the automobile manufacturer lead/plant manager of our generation, the only difference is there’s more people who get that slice. People in this role largely don’t have the capacity to even think about increasing their leverage, they just get “benefits” and call it a night.
People who become billionaires have an entirely different approach. Their work is split between using whatever leverage they have access to, and whatever affords greater leverage. It’s mathematically the only way (given current dollar valuation) that you can get that many dollars.