How to earn a billion dollars • Hacker News Board

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#561

Post by Hammershaft » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:26 PM UTC

neilv wrote: post #541

> There are other ways to get rich than by starting startups. Some of those do require you to exploit people. But startups are the most common way to become really rich, and if you want to start a successful startup, the key is not exploitation but empathy. What do users really want? To have illegal hotels that then help keep a generation out of home ownership? To have an exchange for cryptographic tokens that are us…

AirBnBs are not responsible for the housing crisis. Voters that vote to block development at the municipal level are responsible for the housing crisis.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#562

Post by WarOnPrivacy » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:27 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #549

blfr wrote: post #23

But the accounting difference is real. It is virtually impossible to earn a billion dollars. What is possible but still difficult is to create something worth a billion dollars which you can then sell if you choose so. And to the people criticizing, this is cheating. To them, a billion dollars enterprise is not possible without the exploitation of employees, customers, or at least the environment. Also, the most impo…

> And to the people criticizing, this is cheating. To them, a billion dollars enterprise is not possible without the exploitation of employees, customers, or at least the environment. Well that’s wrong. Exploitive businesses do exist. Rent seeking and arbitrage does exist. But the ire today isn’t directed to Wall Street or private equity. It’s being directed to people who built real companies. It’s not inherently exp…

> Whoever made that happen when USPS couldn’t do it deserves to be a billionaire.

This bit might be a bit unfair. USPS and Amazon Delivery are different services, fulfilling different needs. Neither will deliver a pizza in 30 min or less, for example.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#563

Post by jrflowers » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:28 PM UTC

pj_mukh wrote: post #548

neilv wrote: post #541

> There are other ways to get rich than by starting startups. Some of those do require you to exploit people. But startups are the most common way to become really rich, and if you want to start a successful startup, the key is not exploitation but empathy. What do users really want? To have illegal hotels that then help keep a generation out of home ownership? To have an exchange for cryptographic tokens that are us…

"To have illegal hotels that then help keep a generation out of home ownership?" To solve this, New York City (basically) banned Airbnb's and home ownership is now famously more accessible in the City? I am not even asking for home ownership + rentals to be solved, I am asking whether it got even slightly better because of this ban? Meanwhile, I can't visit my sister because the regulation cartel..I mean Hotel Lobby…

> Maaaybe we need to revisit some of these easy assumptions on your list?

Nobody said that banning Airbnb would by itself make buying housing in New York more accessible. It’s not an assumption that anybody in good faith ever made.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#564

Post by callmeal » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:30 PM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #549

blfr wrote: post #23

But the accounting difference is real. It is virtually impossible to earn a billion dollars. What is possible but still difficult is to create something worth a billion dollars which you can then sell if you choose so. And to the people criticizing, this is cheating. To them, a billion dollars enterprise is not possible without the exploitation of employees, customers, or at least the environment. Also, the most impo…

> And to the people criticizing, this is cheating. To them, a billion dollars enterprise is not possible without the exploitation of employees, customers, or at least the environment. Well that’s wrong. Exploitive businesses do exist. Rent seeking and arbitrage does exist. But the ire today isn’t directed to Wall Street or private equity. It’s being directed to people who built real companies. It’s not inherently exp…

> Amazon can now deliver me stuff the same day of the next morning. That’s amazing, considering that it’s all done with trucks, warehouses, and other things that already existed in the 1990s. Whoever made that happen when USPS couldn’t do it deserves to be a billionaire.

It's also impossible without Amazon exploiting all the workers in the chain - from warehouse workers forced to undergo dehumanizing _unpaid_ searches that take hours when leaving the warehouse, to being forced to pee in bottles.

It is impossible to become a billionaire without exploting people.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#565

Post by pseudosavant » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:34 PM UTC

pclmulqdq wrote: post #503

pseudosavant wrote: post #500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PG is clearly confusing "capturing" a billion dollars for "earning" a billion dollars. Becoming a billionare is working the system so that the wealth generated by something people love (Amazon) is mostly captured by a select group of people (Jeff Bezos) and not the workers who are actually earning the company the value (fulfilling and delivering the packages).

The system set up by the company is what earns the company value and creates it for others. Individual workers implement critical parts of that system, but the work of the workers does not on its own create the value. AOC and PG are both a bit obtuse about this.

A few points.

"Company" is doing some very heavy lifting in how you are using it. The "company" in that sense does not include any worker who isn't a meaningful equity participant. In Amazon's case, or Telsa/SpaceX's case, the "company" is a single founder and his cronnies.

But as for `the work of the workers does not on its own create the value`... I just don't see how that isn't completely incorrect. It is literally the only part that is at the core of the value creation.

How much value would be created by Amazon tomorrow if every fulfillment worker and driver didn't show up? Basically none. But Jeff Bezos could die of a heart attack tomorrow and it wouldn't stop a single dollar of value creation.

We really don't appreciate the contributions of workers enough in this country. Whether it is the medical assistant at the doctor's office, the person who makes your burrito, delivers the Amazon diaper's order, or even check you out at the store. If people stop showing up to work, this all falls apart. It won't matter how much capital you have if you have no workers.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#566

Post by calgoo » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:34 PM UTC

hparadiz wrote: post #537

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #525

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if -- bear with me here -- it's possible for bright, motivated founders to create startups that your kids can work in, but those founders could be content with merely making a hundred million dollars? Because, and I don't know if you know this so you may have to take it on faith, that is still so much money that said founder and their family and very likely their descendants can live in extreme luxury for the re…

[flagged]

what are you talking about????????? 100 million is a fortune, and only people in the SF bubble could even consider that a drop that is pissed into the wind. I would say that you need to take a serious step back and actually contemplate life around you. 100 million is a fortune, and no one actually NEED that much money, if they do, then they have lost touch with reality.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#567

Post by black_13 » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:35 PM UTC

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Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#568

Post by therealdrag0 » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:35 PM UTC

inigyou wrote: post #434

zarathustreal wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not giving everyone equal % is exploitation? Interesting, by that logic every participant in the economy should also be required to bail out any startup that fails otherwise we’re exploiting the founders! They’re taking all the risk and we’re getting all the benefit of the services and goods they create!

Well yeah? We should have really wide safety nets actually, so people can try startups and feel comfortable that they might fail. What kind of losses are you envisioning - is it just salaries?

Some have argued American bankruptcy laws is a contributing factor to how many companies get founded, more than most/all other counties in the world.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#569

Post by crankyOldGuy » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:39 PM UTC

He is mixing apples and oranges here...he really should know better.

When he asks "how fast are you growing", to any business operator, that refers to revenue. That's not at all the same as "how fast is your net worth growing". Net worth for a publicly traded company is what the market thinks your future cash flows are worth, NOT your revenue growth. Obviously, more revenue growth is better, but it doesn't automatically translate into higher net worth. You could imagine a situation where revenue is growing like crazy, but net worth declines...because the stock price is based on the expectation that growth will occur at an even faster rate, or that profitability isn't living up to expectations.

Re: How to earn a billion dollars

#570

Post by pseudosavant » Sun, Jun 14, 2026, 8:43 PM UTC

hootz wrote: post #504

pseudosavant wrote: post #500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PG is clearly confusing "capturing" a billion dollars for "earning" a billion dollars. Becoming a billionare is working the system so that the wealth generated by something people love (Amazon) is mostly captured by a select group of people (Jeff Bezos) and not the workers who are actually earning the company the value (fulfilling and delivering the packages).

So basically do exactly what Karl Marx says about surplus value and exploitation of work, but as the capitalist instead of the exploited worker.

The sad reality is that it doesn't really matter which system you try to do (capitalism, communism, monarchy, etc), it is almost always the powerful exploiting the less powerful.

China probably has the most successful communist government ever (in large part by selectively adopting capitalism) but it isn't like the conditions for their workers are better than in the U.S. or Europe.

All this talk of "late-stage capitalism" seems to miss the mark. It is the rise of many forms of authoritarianism that is the leading cause of disregard for the needs of every day working peoples.