[rortian]

Why would it? He doesn't seem to have a very great command of language but he's got all that money so whatever.

Lot's of people made a lot of money with the internet boom, pg and Mark Cuban among them. However, they are still people that did not enter the 'you cannot comment on me unless your wealth is greater than or equal to mine' club.

[dwaters]

Honest question - why should we expect there be a correlation between "command of language" and entrepreneurial success? Also, curious as to why we should think someone only deserves to have money only if they had good command over language.

[rortian]

Hmmm, interesting questions. I don't think I implied people only deserve money if they have a good command of language. I think I made that comment more to point to how his lack of education was apparent from his manner of speech.

I would expect a good correlation between charisma and entrepreneurial success, of which being well-spoken can be a large component. People here often look to succeed by use of technical acumen, which is another trait that can serve you well, but don't overlook having someone around that is able to connect with people on a more basic level.

[dwaters]

"I think I made that comment more to point to how his lack of education was apparent from his manner of speech."

That's an interesting observation. I actually watched the video again to try to pick out the parts which could cause you to think so. But, nothing seemed to stand out. His manner of speaking was not distinguished in a sense, but at the same time, it seemed more like means to an end, and wasn't something that caused me to think any less of him.

I bring up this issue because I feel I am not "well-spoken" and am trying to see how I can address this deficiency.

[rortian]

Just a couple things to start with:

1) Overuse of cliché.

2) Inability to use adverbs.

I'd have to review to go in more depth but those things are a little jarring to me. If you'd like to work on improving how you sound I'd recommend reading (a lot but preferable some stuff that has general interest, not necessarily fiction) and practice in a relaxed atmosphere. In college there was brewery tour nearby. That was the perfect place to have a dozen different conversations without anyone being wasted enough to remove any lucidity from the participants.

[philk]

Because unless you're equally successful "this guy was a tool" comes across as poorly concealed envy. If you're going to trash someone who's way more successful than you are, use specifics and acknowledge his positive characteristics as well.

[gnaritas]

Not everyone defines success in terms of dollars. Many people make less money than they could because they're unwilling to comprise their morals or do things they feel take advantage of other people. There are plenty of rich douchebags, and you don't need money to point out that they're douchebags.

[gnosis]

Apparently, being rich is some kind of virtue that excuses one's other failings. How admirable.

[FlemishBeeCycle]

Obviously I have no data other than anecdotal evidence to support this claim, however, I would conjecture that the personality traits that lend themselves to acquiring wealth quickly at a young age, may also engender development of bullish personal decorum.

[mos1]

So do we all need to include our net worth on our profile page now?

Frankly, I'd prefer if our comments stood on their own merits (or lack thereof), but perhaps you've hit upon the next social media craze. Instead of simply using karma scores, we could multiply one's karma by the amount of currency tracked in their covestor account.

[rortian]

Do you think that when you attack someone that has been less fortunate than you that you don't have to use specifics or identify positive characteristics?