[ma2rten]

People seem to use the word Ponzi-scheme quite loosely these days, but this is not one. I don't know if this is news to you, but it is not a secret, that VCs do invest in companies under the premise that they get sold or they do an IPO (sell to the public). This is because they need to get a return on their investment.

However, these companies get bought by bigger companies, who drive some real value from buying them. If the big company screws it up or decides to integrate the product in their own, that does not make it a Ponzi-scheme.

[srconstantin]

I probably phrased it too strongly, but I'm legitimately confused. Something seems...unsettlingly short-term here. I shouldn't have called it a "Ponzi scheme." But perhaps "speculation."

[ma2rten]

I guess you're right in a sense, but I think it's quite harmless compared to other things people call "investment" (simply because of it's size). Capitalism is all about the short-term and capitalism is system we live in.