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by WalterBright 28 days ago
> All of that money that you've "earned" with investment, where do you think it came from?

It was created by the company you invested in.

> What do you think you've done to deserve it?

I took the risk of providing capital for the company to use to create wealth.

Risk is an elemental characteristic of free markets.

1 comments

> It was created by the company you invested in.

That's right: the value was created by other people, but yet you are benefiting. That makes you a parasite.

> I took the risk of providing capital for the company to use to create wealth.

So what? I can take a risk by jumping into a shallow pool. That's not the same as labor and does not entitle me, ethically, to profit. The profit should go to the people who do the work.

> That's right: the value was created by other people, but yet you are benefiting. That makes you a parasite.

This is classic Marxism.

The employees were compensated commensurate with the value they produced. The value the investors create is the result of taking the risk by providing the capital and organization needed for the company to operate.

If you don't believe that, you're free to organize with like-minded fellow travelers, set up a commune, and split the rewards equally. I would caution you, however, that 20,000 other communes have been set up in the US, and they all disappeared. In my estimation, the typical commune member leaves after about 2 years, because they were doing all the work and the others were lazing around getting their equal share.

Put another way, SpaceX would not exist without Musk.

> This is classic Marxism.

Correct. Are you going to dispute it or is "this is Marxism" the extent of your argument?

> The employees were compensated commensurate with the value they produced.

If they were compensated commensurate with the value they produced, then there would be no profit for the company, and the CEO's compensation would not be 1000x that of a line worker.

> If you don't believe that, you're free to organize with like-minded fellow travelers, set up a commune, and split the rewards equally.

That is one approach supported by unions.

> Put another way, SpaceX would not exist without Musk.

Yes, and I would not exist without my parents. That does not mean that I give them 90% of my profit.