[dave_sullivan]

You know, I used to be really cynical and agree with much of this. But over the last few years, I've come back to the middle. I think the story is more complex than this.

Yes, to build wealth you need to press and push--no one is going to give you anything for free and pre-buyers remorse can be a bitch. But cheat? I don't know about that--it depends on your definition.

If cheating is maintaining borderline outrageous profit margins, then yes, it helps to do that. But if cheating is something more along the lines of getting 50% up front for a project you underbid, then holding that money hostage while you proceed to milk the project with change orders every step of the way--then yes, that's cheating (and probably illegal-ish). Plenty of people operate this way but I think it's a pretty bad way to do business--both from an economic standpoint and a how-did-you-get-to-be-such-a-terrible-person? standpoint. And then of course there's the run-of-the-mill cheating that is enterprise software marketing departments, but if that's your worst sin in life, I think you're probably doing ok.

And while there are plenty of cases of crooks making out like bandits, there are just as many about pretty honest people making out like bandits as well. Compare Mike Milken and Warren Buffet for example. Or from tech, the guy that started color vs pg. As far as what I've read about both of them, they seem like rather different personality types, but both of them seem to be doing ok financially.

So yes, nothing is cut and dry, and anyone that says you can't make a lot of money via semi-legal stealing is dead wrong, but I really don't think this is the only--or even the most expedient--way to get rich. Speaking personally, I prefer sitting around coming up with ways to build value for customers instead of coming up with more clever ways of fucking them.

[dschiptsov]

I'm from the whole country of thieves, looters and cheaters, (in common folk's popular culture these considered virtues) or, at least, from what it became to be in last few decades.)

[CamperBob2]

Those thieves, looters, and cheaters are no different from you or me. We're all H. sapiens sapiens here. The only difference is culture.

My guess is that a culture that teaches that we are all thieves, looters, and cheaters will indeed find itself full of those characters. Meanwhile, a culture where profit and value are seen as compatible with human dignity and progress will find your view utterly alien.

The cool thing about culture is that it's opt-in by nature. You can adopt any culture that you find advantageous, or create your own. Most people don't take advantage of that fact, but it's still an option, and it's one that you should perhaps consider.