Comment by bruce511
1 day ago
Why do you care?
I mean that seriously. Sometimes when one asks a question the asking may be more insightful to you than the answer.
I mean, you'll get a bunch of answers here, reflecting a bunch of opinions. But why do you care about what they think? And what does it matter to you what Zuck is or not.
It doesn't sound like you're asking about billionaires in general (or the number of them, or the harm they are doing), and you're not asking about Facebook in general, but rather on Zuck himself.
Do you think the success of a person is based on their original ideas? Or is it on execution? Do you think he's a bad CEO because his company (and him) are visible? (Does your local accounting firm with 10 employees get the same scrutiny?)
Do you think a CEO operates in a vacuum? Is he the only one eith ideas? Is the the only one (inside meta) who makes bets, or buys companies?
All of which brings us back to, why do you care? Is your success delineated by his reputation? (Hey, maybe you're C level at meta aiming for his job.)
Honestly, I've found for me, caring about the success, or deservingness, of others (big or small) is meaningless to me. Their success doesn't make me fail. Their moral failings doesn't make me a success. My job is to be the best I can be, not compare myself to others. And my definition of success is what I want it to be, not some measure society offers (like absolute wealth.)
I'm objectively a bad golfer (outside the top 100 000 in my country, as my phone delights in telling me), but my measure for golfing success is how much fun I'm having. I don't hate on Rory for his success.
If it can be rationally argued that the success of the billionaire class is mostly down to luck, size and "quality" of their lineage's social network, exploiting legal loopholes, and immoral conduct, then it follows that we should demand much more of their wealth for the betterment of society. And I very much think that the argument is correct. The Epstein files and the lesser known but just as important Panama papers is strong evidence.
I don't think you need to question the moral source of wealth to justify taxing it.
Tax law certainly doesn't require justification. Neither does public sentiment.
Personally I'm in the camp that wealth could be taxed far more aggressivly. But the current party with political power believes the opposite. My only actual power here is to vote and encourage others to do the same.
Why do you care why he cares? Why post this long essay?
Psychologically it can be more important to understand why you asked a question than in getting an answer.
I wrote the reply so the asker could reflect on the motivation which in turn can lead to a more satisfying outcome than simple agreement.
Maybe you should psychologically analyze why you feel the need to simp for billionaires.