[mcv]

I think the US actually is still by far the best place to become a billionaire. Only to have any shot at that at all, you need to start out as still fairly affluent. You need to have the time, opportunity and education to work on that dream, to grab that rare opportunity.

If your mind is entirely occupied with where your next meal comes from, whether you'll make rent at the end of the month, and how you're possibly going to cope with the random accidents of life, your mind can't even afford to think about bigger plans or opportunities.

Lift people out of that misery at the bottom. Make sure everybody has access to a good education. Make sure nobody goes bankrupt due to medical emergencies. Do that, and people will have the chance to move up again.

[adventured]

The US is still one of the very few countries where a lower-class person can become a billionaire.

I can name about three to four dozen recently listed (Forbes 400) US billionaires that came from poverty. You can look them up, the lists are easy to Google. Further, according to Forbes about half of their real estate billionaires come from at or below middle class, and about 40% of tech billionaires do.