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Cool essay, but : > Many employees would work harder if they could get paid for it. is just wrong. See http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html
No its very true. Money remains a big motivation factor for those who don't have it. In general people don't get motivated by what they already have.
Wow. I know it sounds obvious, but for some reason this was an epiphany for me. If I just... do something, I can create value where there was none before. Suddenly it seems like there's infinite opportunities.
> Suppose you own a beat-up old car. Instead of sitting on your butt next summer, you could spend the time restoring your car to pristine condition. In doing so you create wealth. The world is-- and you specifically are-- one pristine old car the richer. And not just in some metaphorical way. If you sell your car, you'll get more for it. Wow. I know it sounds obvious, but for some reason this was an epiphany for me.…
A better example would be houses. Although even with them, if you spend money on things that you can't get money back out of (like a hot tub) when you sell it you end up in the same situation.
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A counterexample would be entertainment, e.g. minecraft.
Good point. Minecraft provides a lot of value for me and my family. It is a game we play together, even though we live towns apart. It is also a game that I'm using to teach my girls how to program (on the Rpi). Who knows what my girls will go on and build? Wealth can be created by things we misjudge.
That sounds cool, please explain more :)
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No its very true. Money remains a big motivation factor for those who don't have it. In general people don't get motivated by what they already have.
Motivation/Money is a logarithmic curve.
Good essay. Though I'd err new developers to not be so easily persuaded by 'the multiplier' effect. In a company your $80K job is a specialist role. One where you focus and get good at one thing. All the million other things are taken care for you, because you weren't recruited for those roles. Just your one. Working on your own product or in a startup is a comparatively generalist role. Or should I say multiple spec…
There are two things at play here. One is that not everyone is cut out to be a multi-specialist or a startup founder. Another is that there are lots of people who are, but they don't think they are capable of it. The only way you can find out if this type of startup life is for you is by trying it. The first type will try and fail, but the second type will succeed if only they try.
> Suppose you own a beat-up old car. Instead of sitting on your butt next summer, you could spend the time restoring your car to pristine condition. In doing so you create wealth. The world is-- and you specifically are-- one pristine old car the richer. And not just in some metaphorical way. If you sell your car, you'll get more for it. Wow. I know it sounds obvious, but for some reason this was an epiphany for me.…
So it seems like becoming wealthy isn't just a matter of generating value, but rather generating it faster than it disappears.