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Comment by scarface74 | Hacker News Reader

In the Marx era “owning capital” was a means to create products that you could sell to make money.

In 2019, where if you have a credit card to create an account on AWS, you can create a product that has a near zero marginal cost.

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I think that a difference might be that when your capital allows you to create a physical product then there is a very good chance that the product has value. On the other hand, if you use AWS to create a product then it most likely that the product does not have value (since most web startups fail).

Most startups selling physical goods fail. Hardware is much harder to manufacture at scale. The logistics involved is crazy. Even the vaunted Tesla is a money pit.

That's a fair point. I think the distinction that I was trying to draw was between a company that primarily derives its value from the physical manufacturing of goods versus deriving its value from something intangible such as design, intellectual property, technological prowess, etc. In Tesla's case I don't think the company ever intended to derive their value simply from their ability to manufacture a car; rather it derives from their ability to develop novel car technology.

That being said, it does strike me that in the Marx era it was most likely easier to be successful as a regional provider of some commodity while globalization means that even a manufacturer is effectively competing against the entire world.

Yes, that's exactly the point. You _can_ create a product at near-zero marginal cost.

If you do, and it sells, you're an owner / producer. If you don't, you're a worker / consumer.

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