|
|
|
|
|
|
by jcuga
3748 days ago
|
|
|
What good is a billion dollar startup if it pays little US tax, and only employs one or two hundred high paying jobs? A 100 Million dollar company typically employs just as many high paying jobs and may pay more US tax than a lot of these tech companies. Also, a lot of these tech companies that are "shaking up" industries are profitable at the expense of other more traditional businesses (For example: AirBnB taking business from Hotels, Uber from taxi services, etc). So bringing in more Billion dollar unicorn startups may not be the best thing for a country. |
|
|
Your line of thought implies that the only way a company can add value to the economy is through employment and taxes. You only need to look for a couple seconds at the mess in DC to glimpse how much money from taxes is wasted, not to mention allocated towards ethically questionable activities (drones, domestic spying, wars, etc). That's for another conversation.
In the case of airbnb, you are taking money from larger more established corporations (hotel chains) and giving it to homeowners who have a spare bedroom or are away for the weekend. You are also providing a wider range of pricing options for consumers. So the company contributes to the economy in those ways as well, not just through employment and taxes.
> Also, a lot of these tech companies that are "shaking up" industries are profitable at the expense of other more traditional businesses
These companies take business from traditional companies because they provide more value. Keep in mind the whole point of a company to fulfill a need. I would say that it's not really up to you or anyone other than consumers to decide if it's a good thing or not that these companies succeed. Competition is always a good thing for consumers.