The idea that "Hard work" will make you a billionaire is largely a myth, but a nice-sounding one because it implies anyone can do it. Hard work might get you from the bottom 20% to maybe the next 20%, but it's not going to let you crack the 1% club. If my kid tells me she wants to be a billionaire, I'm going to tell her to find the rich kids in school, make friends with them and introduce me to their parents. Entry into the top 1% is a function of the quality of your contacts list, not a function of work.