[lejoko]

There is usually another reason (and I share it) : they don't have enough money to start their own company without it being too big a risk. It is an order of magnitude easier to take risks when you already have enough money so that your family is not at stake...

[marknutter]

You're only proving my point about the value of being able to take on risk.

[lejoko]

I don't see how. You said that engineers can take risks if they want. I say that: 1. a lot can't take any risk at all, even if they'd be willing to, since they have no money. 2. the level of the risk you take depends enormously on your initial wealth. Wealthy founders take a lot less risk than founders who invest their life savings. And when you get to the other side of the investment, when you win, the money you earn does not depend at all on the level of risk you took. But when you lose, it totally depends on it. the risk is not the same for everybody.

[marknutter]

What you're saying effectively boils down to "being rich is better than being poor". Risk is still risk, and it has a market value, whether or not you want to acknowledge it.