Jun 23, 2026, 10:59 AM

It's always a bit shocking to me how intellectually unserious our not-so-benevolent corporate overlords are.

Paul Graham, the so-called "great essayist" has given a speech about earning a billion dollars which amounts to "it's very possible to earn a billion dollars if you grow your company very fast, dur dur leftists don't understand compound interest" with absolutely no engagement as to the substance of the objection, which is about what "earning" ought to mean. Namely, even taking at face value the dubious claim that startups are "creating wealth" rather than simply figuring out ways to create existing services in a way that avoids regulation and then pocketing the savings from not having to obey the law, does the owner have a morally legitimate claim to that wealth over the workers?

But PG seems completely unaware that there's even an argument to make here?

I suppose it's not prudent to wish one's enemies were smarter, but like, come on.