[semanticist]

Why?

No, seriously, if I can work 15 hours a week and live comfortably, why is there an automatic assumption that I'd need to work more just because other people are prepared to do that? What does 'get ahead' even mean, in that context?

There's so many social and cultural assumptions bound up in your statement that it's nearly meaningless for anyone who isn't you.

[habosa]

People don't just want to do well, they want to do better than those around them. it's natural to many people (maybe not to you, but to many). I read this quote from a wall street executive in an article recently posted on HN: " “It's not just enough to fly in first class; I have to know my friends are flying in coach."

So unless nobody is selling first class tickets, people will work harder to afford them. And in order for the market to work, the seller of tickets will raise the price of first class until only ~10% of flying passengers can afford it.

[semanticist]

I don't think your Wall Street exec is expressing a common viewpoint. In fact, I think he's probably a sociopath, and if we can architecture a society which is actively hostile to those kind of attitudes I think it could only be a good thing.