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Do we need billionaires?

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141–144 of 144 posts

Re: Do we need billionaires?

#141
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who cares about the stock price. They should be forced to split their companies in smaller, competing companies, so that: 1. there's not a huge asshole controlling enormous companies (and then also buying all the media and ruining the public information) 2. we have more competition and lower prices (that's EXACTLY why capitalism was supposed to have anti-concentration laws) 3. you spread the wealth. Now there are mor…

I feel this is closer, but still not equitable. More people owning less, but what about the vision that holds the ship together and leads the org to the goal? In the case of SpaceX, it's Elon and to a lesser extent Gwynn by way of osmosis that hold the light aloft. We force division of wealth, then what about the leadership and direction? SpaceX is what it is because the vision is much less tyranny of the masses, and…

You can still build such great visions:

- by doing it through governments (that's how we went to the moon, BTW)

- by having a collection of smaller companies cooperating and acting together

Re: Do we need billionaires?

#142
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet he has the shittiest possible life, forced to be scared of someone harming him, all his children in age of understanding who he is hates him, same for his ex-wives, most hated person in the world after Putin and Trump

I don't think he has the shittiest possible life. Someone trapped in an abusive relationship, suffering from addictions, mental health problems and with financial problems probably has a worse life than the richest man in the world Also, Elon, Trump and Putin may be the most hated people by amount of people who hate them, but I wonder where they would fall on "proportion of people who know about them who hate them".…

Are you saying that because you recognize that Musk IS trapped in addictions (coke and MDMA), has severe mental health issues (depression and delusion) ?

Re: Do we need billionaires?

#143
post #7

> risk-takers who are badly needed But at what point does marginal private incentive stop helping innovation and start damaging democracy? For sure risk-taking deserves reward but the size of the reward matters

But when they fail, they fail upwards. These risks are always on the backs of everyone else. For example, they take risks by using chemicals (that they know) can kill people, by the time people get cancer they are retired, there are no claw-backs. More recently you commit actual fraud, get convicted but then get a pardon and somehow end up with money again running the next "scam". These people never take real risks.…

Only the death of a lot of gravy trains and slush funds enabled by USAID and similar.

At the best, it’d be a stretch to claim that USAID was the sole or primary thing that kept people alive or disease free.

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