> Why can't people they just quit their job for the duration needed, do the startup in their spare time using their own money rather than taking advantage of someone else who is already successful?

The idea is basically that the idea of being forced to look for work, something that can be very draining, is keeping people from taking the chance. This law allows swedes to give their idea a shot without having the lack of job loom over their head.

> Looks like a lot of people on HN have left-leaning views despite the name "HACKERnews"

I'm not really sure what you mean with this. Can you not be a hacker/entrepreneur/developer and have left-leaning views and ideas? If that's the case I have a few friends that need to change their views or sell their companies.

And these friends are left-leaning Danes. So in essence, if you're American, you can generally compare their views to a slightly more "extreme" version of Bernie Sanders.