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I think it’s super complex. In the 2003 documentary The Corporation, some tree huggers protested some Shell board member at his house in the UK .. he and his wife actually invite them in and have a nice discussion.

As far as rich people wasting money, I kinda like Matt Walsh’s hot take: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2QeMl9rY5g

People love Elon Musk for the based things he’s doing, ignoring the fact that he’s one of the largest defense contractors in the world (via SpaceX), all his companies are heavily subsidized by governments (US, China for Tesla; various for SpaceX satellites). He has ties to the World Economic Forum.

In the 90s/2000s it was shitty how Bill Gates crushed all his opposition, but the Linux and open source movement showed there were things he couldn’t compete against. macOS has gained market, but also shows things typically narrow to 2~3 competitors in all markets. I think it’s kinda the natural output.

When it comes to the FTC/SEC, it’s rare they do much useful today; preventing only the largest and flagrant violations of anti-competition/anti-trust (nVidia trying to buy ARM, or AB InBev forcing to sell the Modelo brand to someone else in the US).

Just in general, if you hate a rich person for being rich, stop buying from them. I literally bought nothing from Walmart from 2010 ~ 2022. I stopped buying from Amazon in 2016. People complain, but no one is going to take collective action. That requires advertising and that’s expensive. The Bud Light/Target/Dodgers thing is really interesting in this regards, even though long term, Target and AB InBev will probable be fine.

..and I think that gets to the complex part. People naturally order into hierarchies. You’re always going to get down to 2~4 providers for any given thing. People who take the biggest risks are going to be the ones who make the biggest gains, and not everyone has the will and drive to make those risks (I don’t). So I disagree with you; there is a certain amount of envy there, but should you really envy the psycho? .. the world is going to breed them anyway … either through selection from other elites or through the lucky few risk takers that can create a shared vision and make widgets everyone else wants …

I dunno … I use to earn next to nothing and now I earn a lot relatively (a good home, a good vehicle, on track for retirement), but not an insane amount (12 vehicles with a Corvette). I’m happy where I’m at, and I don’t have a strong drive. I wish everyone who didn’t could make more than enough to be okay and live decently.

oh god this is a long fucking essay. Sorry Quinn! Don’t hate me :blobfoxinnocent: