[noahc]

^I think that profit should be the reward for value, and that value comes as the result of hard work.

This is factually incorrect. You are correct that profit IS the reward for creating value. However, from your previous posts I'm under the impression that you believe value is objective. The truth is that value is subjective to each person, however IF something is making money it is providing some value.

And, as a result of hard work? That's obviously not true. The value comes from value. The idea that hard work creates value is verifiably wrong. You can choose to work really hard on your startup and yet still not provide any value.

[wpietri]

> IF something is making money it is providing some value.

That's provably false (and a regrettably common belief). Bernie Madoff made buckets of money. Magnetic healing bracelets make money. Psychic surgeons and Nigerian scam artists and spammers make money.

[hessenwolf]

You are talking about fraud, though, for Bernie, scam artists, and possibly spammers. In those cases they are supposed to add value.

Magnetic healing bracelets, well, we all know they work.