Ask HN: Did you get "never have to work again rich" through software?

I don't buy that argument.

Sure, after 8 weeks, their happiness was equalized, but what about after 8 years, or a lifetime?

How many more positive experiences does having money unlock (innumerable) compared to how many positive experiences does being disabled prevent from happening (also innumerable)? Over a longer timescale, the differences between the momentum of good experiences versus the stagnation of having most of human activity inaccessible intuitively add up to be pretty large.

A good study would be to measure the happiness of paraplegics who won the lottery.

Not "never again" but "for a while" the option is there for me. For those interested:

> How did you do it?

I've spent the past several years building small products, including a blog and various apps. My latest iPad app made it to the #3 most popular position and has brought in enough money where I wouldn't have to work for quite a while. Though it should be noted part of that is due to the fact I've lowered all my bills (including rent) over the last year.

> What did it feel like when you first realized you wouldn't have to work again (for a while) if you didn't want to?

I'm still torn with this decision almost daily. I have a day job, it's decent and pays well, I like having the structure, but being able to spend my time how I want to spend it seems promising. Realizing I could quit today and not have to worry about money for a while makes the day-to-day pings of things like paying bills, or buying groceries without looking at the amount I'm paying, almost painless.

> How old (are) you?

27

> What was it specifically that made the cash?

Years of work building a dedicated audience, establishing a (small) name for myself in a niche, then making things people can actually use and enjoy. Notably my latest iPad app: Brainbean

> Do you feel happy in your life?

Yes? No? I don't know. The success of my work certainly made me happy for a very short while, but the internal response dies quickly when you realize money isn't everything. Having a lot of money can simply make certain things easier, but it doesn't solve all of your problems (like figuring out what to do with your life).

I hope that's at all insightful.

Also, for those I fear who may be pursuing the "lottery" of "never have to work again" rich: be wary of what you read. It's easy to hype businesses that sell for billions of dollars, or young kids who turn into millionaires "overnight."

It's a dangerous place to be, believing that the news you hear about those types of people/businesses is real. That's not real life. If you really want to be rich, work hard. If you want to be wealthy, think about what you need to do even if you're not rich.

For people who have their basic needs met money is generally a non-factor in baseline happiness. Relationships have a much more profound effect on happiness and to have great relationships you will never reach a peak where you won't have to continually work for those relationships. Also people who involve themselves in humanitarian acts tend to be happier, even when surrounded with tragedy.

The best way to be happy is to give your time to the people around you.

Does this thread always show up right after the "Who's Hiring?" ones?

"Happy experiences" is way to subjective for your argument to apply. For example, someone who becomes a paraplegic could actually be happier after becoming a paraplegic because they may appreciate life more, and thus be happier during the same experiences they had before.

You're not considering that the 'positive experiences' for someone who won the lottery vs. someone who is paraplegic are vastly different.