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Comment by dadoge | Hacker News Reader

Breaking: A CEO of a very successful company is a human being

Good point. Why enrich them beyond other human beings? One of billions is a much more reasonable view of who they are.

Because they’ve created immense value, jobs, and progress from which other human beings have benefited and will continue to benefit for years to come. Not sure why this is so hard to understand.

So “think of the greater good” hokum?

You have the spoken traditions memorized, that’s for sure.

I don’t even know what that means.

These people have delivered immense value on multiple levels. Removing the incentive for doing so would be discourage others. I would like to see more Teslas, more founders, and more progress - not less.

If their output does not improve the lives of others and society around them, then it’s certainly an issue. Otherwise I’m not concerned with their wealth and would be happy to see it grow as a biproduct of their continue effort.

Almost all of these billionaires' net worth is in stocks; that is, in their (part) ownership of companies. Redistributing their wealth is the same as taking ownership of their companies away from them. In that direction lies the Soviet Union.

So we could let them keep their stocks and not trade them for dollars; they own 100% of their company and the public is no longer obliged to acknowledge outsiders have ephemeral value beyond their direct contribution to society.

Demanding we believe in ephemeral property is spoken tradition not an immutable truth of reality. I am not saying we have to redistribute their wealth; I’m saying we stop idolizing wealth. Especially when tax policy and direct cash infusions from government is keeping these guys afloat. It’s not free market trade. Look at their tune change as soon as free money is shut off with interest rate changes; it’s not them it’s political policy. They’re not actually rich.

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