The people that were born early win out, and the people who are born later have less and less chances of striking it rich.
So human societies in general.
Never said we weren't generally better off. But none of us have a shot at being oil barons, logging millionaires, retail moguls, etc.
Striking it rich now generally means achieving a higher level of knowledge and education first, then you can try to make your mark.
The previous generation hordes vast sums of wealth from endeavors that required less up front preparation and less capital (which was often provided rather no strings attached by the government, a tap which is being shut off (look at IBM's history of being gifted government funded inventions, among others)).