Richest man on Earth: Jeff Bezos' Fortune Crosses $130 Billion!

[Gorgodeus]

People at this level are rarely, if ever actually anything less, no matter how many pro-benevolence stories are written about them. Gates fucked over plenty of people to put MS where it was.

In any case, Bezos doesn't actually *have* this much money in terms of usable cash. It's simply a snapshot of his perceived worth, which is something entirely different.

A person's net worth entails a lot more than cash. It is basically how much money they would have if they sold everything they own.

[PC2]

It actually would.

No, taking all the wealth and giving it to poor people hurts the incentive to produce over time. If the most redistributive societies were the most creative and prosperous all those economies would be growing faster than low tax societies.

The actual wealth transfer is through the West exploiting those countries, past and present. Stopping that, and reparation, would help.

The West already gives aid to third world countries. Giving too much and in the wrong sectors will actually cripple their economies, there has to be a lot discipline to make sure it's not making them dependent. The last thing a country wants is to be reliant on retail sales based on foreign aid.

[dopefishz]

My god. I'm currently saving for a new car and a new PC. He could just give me a million or 2. Wouldn't hurt him a bit.

[ranzino]

Do you believe taxation is theft? If so we can kindly ignore your further posts.

the idea was "we should take all the wealth"
no, we did not talk about taxes on the wealth, but taking the capital (and assets and whatnot)

[Najnaj]

He could buy everyone in the world a house and still be a super rich. He owns this site too lmao.

130B divided by 7B is not exactly enough to buy everyone a house. He could invite everyone out for a reasonably good dinner but that is it.

[Eldar45]

No such thing as unskilled labor. Only people whose skills people like you don't value.

Does it take skill to work a cash register? No.

That is unskilled labor. It is valuable labor, but still unskilled. Skills are learned over several hours/months/years and are required to do certain jobs. An electrician would be a skilled laborer.

[Captain N]

the idea was "we should take all the wealth"
no, we did not talk about taxes on the wealth, but taking the capital (and assets and whatnot)

If that's the case I misunderstood. Usually when the discussion involving wealth inequality turns up the conversation revolves around tax increases on the ultra wealthy so that others may prosper through increased social programs.

Does it take skill to work a cash register? No.

That is unskilled labor. It is valuable labor, but still unskilled. Skills are learned over several hours/months/years and are required to do certain jobs. An electrician would be a skilled laborer.

Dealing with the general public while smiling and resisting the urge to punch someone in the face is a skill in itself.

An actual electrician is a skilled job -- a handy man is not in most cases. An electrician charges a higher fee for their services than a handy man. Guess who a majority of people end up hiring?

[cubby]

My god. I'm currently saving for a new car and a new PC. He could just give me a million or 2. Wouldn't hurt him a bit.

Did you see that fantastic cartoon right after he bought the Washington Post a few years ago? "Honey, where did you go?". "I just went out and got the paper." He might be an asshole to work for, but he goes good things.

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No, taking all the wealth and giving it to poor people hurts the incentive to produce over time. If the most redistributive societies were the most creative and prosperous all those economies would be growing faster than low tax societies.

No, it doesn't. It actually creates more productive people because everyone's basic needs are met. Healthier, too. Happier, as well. I could go on.

[ranzino]

$1.4 Trillion.

ok and what to you want do with that amount ? and of course you can do it only once, whatever your plan is.

[cubby]

ok and what to you want do with that amount ? and of course you can do it only once, whatever your plan is.

Let's see - $1.4 Trillion? I'll buy 20 years of Congress and President elections - and then have them legislate my ideas into law.

I can throw $400 Billion at the Presidential race, and $2.8 billion at EACH Congressional race (535 total). That should get me full control for at least 10 years.

Fix everything.

[Najnaj]

No, taking all the wealth and giving it to poor people hurts the incentive to produce over time. If the most redistributive societies were the most creative and prosperous all those economies would be growing faster than low tax societies.

Uhm..they do. Most countries with low taxes are developing countries and they can certainly do an impressive spurt...proportionally. THE entire western Europe does a fairly good job (or did) at redistributing wealth. THe US does a reasonable job at this. Almost the entire developing world does not and this is why they are the developing world.

No infrastructure and no social mobility is a recipe for doom. When you have geniuses plowing fields because that is what their family does you are basically screwed as a country.

[Elba]

Does it take skill to work a cash register? No.

That is unskilled labor. It is valuable labor, but still unskilled. Skills are learned over several hours/months/years and are required to do certain jobs. An electrician would be a skilled laborer.

Yes it does. Everything that is part of your job is a skill. Including working in a store. Working the register, dealing with customers, handling the products, organizing, cleaning, dealing with the stress and dehumanization service workers are often subjected to etc. etc.

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The West already gives aid to third world countries. Giving too much and in the wrong sectors will actually cripple their economies, there has to be a lot discipline to make sure it's not making them dependent. The last thing a country wants is to be reliant on retail sales based on foreign aid.

Returning what was stolen does not make dependent. All the first world countries built themselves up by plundering the rest of the world. England financed their industry by looting India for example.

[PC2]

No, it doesn't. It actually creates more productive people because everyone's basic needs are met. Healthier, too. Happier, as well. I could go on.

Yeah I agree that welfare increases productivity when it comes to basic needs. That's why I like the US system because it doesn't give people any non-essential luxuries.

Uhm..they do. Most countries with low taxes are developing countries and they can certainly do an impressive spurt...proportionally. THE entire western Europe does a fairly good job (or did) at redistributing wealth. THe US does a reasonable job at this. Almost the entire developing world does not and this is why they are the developing world.

No infrastructure and no social mobility is a recipe for doom. When you have geniuses plowing fields because that is what their family does you are basically screwed as a country.

You're proving my point. Low tax places are growing compared to Western Europe, which is close to stagnation.

[Oakshana]

Well that article in the New Yorker was pretty damning on the work environment at Amazon. I'm not really surprised by your encounter (is it weird that I think it's pretty cool?), but I've dealt with Amazon in general, on a VERY limited basis, and their attitude doesn't seem to have changed much.

We were a very small contractor with them, and they took at least 120 days to pay their invoices.

Yeah, I have heard with smaller companies their internal business practices are borderline shady. But it could just be prioritization laziness.

I had a friend that worked there for four years, and he basically let me in on things that were just baffling to me. For instance, they basically have 14 tiers or levels of employment. And this is all respective of pay grade essentially. And whatever tier you are hired in at (level one was like warehouse or mailroom level, level fourteen would be execs under Bezos's team), that was essentially the tier you would stay at unless you were basically willing to spend every waking minute working. He had a son and was only able to put in 50 hours a week and, while he had favorable reviews and small bumps in pay, he stayed at that level his entire time at the company. They basically made it clear unless he was putting in 80+ hours not to expect to advance.

To me, that kind of culture is absolutely insane. My understanding is that Google is very similar.

[Gorgodeus]

People want to take his wealth away? Really?

Most of his wealth is tied up and isn't liquid. You'd have to liquidate a lot of stuff to get anything out of him.

Most of his wealth is in stocks, which is easily liquidated.

[cubby]

Does it take skill to work a cash register? No.

That is unskilled labor. It is valuable labor, but still unskilled. Skills are learned over several hours/months/years and are required to do certain jobs. An electrician would be a skilled laborer.

Of course it does - there is literally nothing that is unskilled labor. People just shit all over low end jobs for . . . reasons. And yet they are still critically necessary to our society.

[Kapadons]

Wut? Your country has a serious homeless problem. Has a serious problem with people not being able to afford medical treatment. Has a serious problem with school children going hungry. Has a serious problem with a pipeline to prison slave labor. Has a serious problem with those poor that have jobs working themselves to the bone and still barely getting by. Lol American government net. From a European perspective you guys live in a cyber punk world minus all the cool cyber shit.

Absolutely nothing you said had no basis in reality. Congratulations. You made yourself feel better with a false narrative. Would expect nothing less from you. Given your absolute distance from reality. Whatever makes you feel better , I guess.

[ranzino]

Most of his wealth is in stocks, which is easily liquidated.

you need a lot of other people or hedge fonds to shell out those 130bn.

[Deleted]

Everything that is part of your job is a skill.
Working the register, dealing with customers, handling the products, organizing, cleaning, dealing with the stress and dehumanization service workers are often subjected to etc. etc.

Those are called competency.
Skill, in labor, is a measure. Which translates into value.

[cubby]

Wut? Your country has a serious homeless problem. Has a serious problem with people not being able to afford medical treatment. Has a serious problem with school children going hungry. Has a serious problem with a pipeline to prison slave labor. Has a serious problem with those poor that have jobs working themselves to the bone and still barely getting by. Lol American government net. From a European perspective you guys live in a cyber punk world minus all the cool cyber shit.

And your response:

Absolutely nothing you said had no basis in reality. Congratulations. You made yourself feel better with a false narrative. Would expect nothing less from you. Given your absolute distance from reality. Whatever makes you feel better , I guess.

Out of curiosity, what parts do you think he got wrong?