[JanezStupar]

Indeed it is. Upon my realization that I should try harder to disqualify you, Edit timer has already passed.

So I will offer my clarification here.

This notion, that somehow in Eastern Block everybody had their basic needs covered in an egalitarian fashion while in Western Capitalism, to get any kind of (fair?) treatment one better be lined with cash is sorely mistaken.

In reality Eastern Block was very much as your average 1% > 99% scenario. The ruling elite (Cream of various Party organization and their relatives) had it all (doctors, money, travel, education,...).

If an unprivileged person wanted some of the services that were reserved for the Party elite - one would have to pay bribes all the way to destination.

Average folk didn't get any meaningful service level on security, education, health,...

So basically the only difference between East and West is/was that in West you don't have as high probability of being imprisoned/killed/have property confiscated while trying to go about doing business.

Furthermore in regards to Yuri - his parents were obviously well liked by the regime (high, excellent positions) which enabled them lucrative careers and lifestyles.

In Soviet Russia - you didn't get to travel round the world and do business - unless Regime could be certain that you can be trusted (e.g. are a part of the system).

p.s.: For reference check Northern Korea, whats going on there was pretty much the golden standard for socialist regimes.

[guard-of-terra]

An interesting description, but how does it contradict with things I said earlier in the thread?

More specifically: that he might not care about wealth as something one buys with money.

[JanezStupar]

Not sure if serious...

We are talking extremely corrupt societies here. Saying that one does not need money at all - would imply that this someone is a member of top of the top of a corrupt regime, thus having anything one would desire available at mere whim (due to sheer terror one's position instills in others).

But for everybody else - money (or another medium of exchange) is essential to get basic services or indeed keep ones liberty or life intact.

What you are saying is that Gang Lords have no need for money, since they will get everything they desire on a whim, while civil people need to trade and barter to get goods and services that they require.

Thus you are painting Yuri as an ascet who deals with insane amounts of money out of sheer joy of helping rich Russian magnates increase their holdings. However according to you he has no other (especially) material goals for himself.

[guard-of-terra]

I can't agree about late USSR being "extremelly correct society". It wasn't on the whole, not much more than current USA is one (I should agree that I probably not qualified to appraise the latter).

I don't say he is an ascet. I'm just saying that he isn't motivated by being able to buy a huge house or a shiny car. And he probably wasn't, never in his life. They just come organically because of other, real things he achieve.

[JanezStupar]

I couldn't possibly imagine what people with billions of dollars of assets at their disposal feel like.

What are his motives? Beats me. He may be after a better high, better orgasm, fast cars, eternal life, global domination. Or he may just want to live a tranquil life with Jane Average and make babies and peacefully pass away.

Either way it certainly cannot be inferred from this article.

But comparing Yuri Milner to Perelman is interesting in an ingenious kind of way.

Perelman and Milner are from two completely different faces of Russia. And I'd wager that Perelman's disenchantment has a lot more to do with people like Milner than vice versa.

[guard-of-terra]

They are very close age; Both had jewish parents; Which were part of soviet intellectual elite/science. I can guess that the environment in which they both were raised is nearly the same.

Perelman's disenchantment is caused by his mathematical institute stupid old professors who didn't care about math as a science (i.e. way to figure out new things), only focused on art of reiterating same things over and over again. Which led him to think that the official math scientific community is dead. He said it in interviews.

It does not seem to have anything with "people like Milner".

[guard-of-terra]

s/correct/corrupt/, sorry, happens to me.