I agree, and if anyone figures out how to persuade rich people to do this, I'd really like to know how. My goal in life is to become rich in order to do specific awesome things, but convincing rich people to do those awesome things seems like it could bring a much higher return on investment if I could pull it off.
Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
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Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#12Well, how many awesome things do you typically do? Awesome things don't necessarily have to involve large amounts of money. Ever stopped on the side of the rode to help somebody? Given somebody a ride across town when they were lost?
If you want to see more wealthy people do more awesome things, lead by example. Tomorrow go find somebody that needs help, and help them.
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#13This guy got rich investing small amts in young kids. he is a douche. douches are not awesome. His stupid post just proves his douchiness
If you really believe this, I suggest you watch the video of him doing "office hours" live at TC Disrupt last month. You might love or hate what he has to say, but his insight and ability to pick up often incoherent business models in faster-than-realtime is incredible to watch. I described it to a friend as "spooky in the good way".
http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/absolute-must-watch-office-...
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#14Well, how many awesome things do you typically do? Awesome things don't necessarily have to involve large amounts of money. Ever stopped on the side of the rode to help somebody? Given somebody a ride across town when they were lost? If you want to see more wealthy people do more awesome things, lead by example. Tomorrow go find somebody that needs help, and help them.
While I probably directly run the risk of sounding like a mega-douche, I truly believe that my startup buzzdata.com is going to make life better for millions of people.
Is that allowed to count?
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#15[deleted]
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#16I'm not about to second-guess PG, or any other single person. Maybe the capital they have isn't liquid enough; maybe they have other obligations; who knows? And it's worth pointing out that doing more awesome things doesn't require wealth. Why don't more poor people clean up their neighborhoods? Why don't more startups choose to solve problems that would really improve peoples' lives? We should never point our finger…
>Why don't more startups choose to solve problems that would really improve peoples' lives?
People keep bringing this up, but I never see examples. If I saw one, I'd chase it like an alcoholic that's spotted Jim Beam at the bottom of a hill.
To my detriment, and with gusto.
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#17Paul Allen single-handedly funded development of the private spacecraft SpaceShipOne.[1][2]
He apparently began funding that spaceship, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, around 2001, several YEARS before he told anybody that he was doing so (in 2004). By definition, rich people who are doing things for non-showoff-y reasons are not necessarily showing off about it.
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Allen#Assets [2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne#Development_and_wi...
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#18There's value given to a cause if someone important endorses it. Sure, a wealthy individual can write a check and cover the entire amount with ease, but why should he/she? You won't be rich for long if you hand out money every time you're asked. In the end, even the most generous wealthy individuals have to prioritize:
-"I support X so much that I'll donate $100k."
-"I like what Y is doing, I'll associate my name with it."
-"I don't care for Z much/Z might be a scam, ignore them."
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#19Well, how many awesome things do you typically do? Awesome things don't necessarily have to involve large amounts of money. Ever stopped on the side of the rode to help somebody? Given somebody a ride across town when they were lost? If you want to see more wealthy people do more awesome things, lead by example. Tomorrow go find somebody that needs help, and help them.
While I probably directly run the risk of sounding like a mega-douche, I truly believe that my startup buzzdata.com is going to make life better for millions of people. Is that allowed to count?
Did you start it with the intention of profiting? I think the OP is specifically looking for unprofitable-but-awesome ventures. For example, curing AIDS because you want people to not have AIDS is awesome, but curing AIDS because you want to sell AIDS medicine is not awesome.
Re: Why don't rich people do more awesome things?
#20Paul Graham himself? Because he can't afford it.