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ratbastard

Oct 26, 2026 5:35 PM

2.6K Comments

Joined Apr 2006

ratbastardOct 26, 2026 5:35 PM

2.6K Comments

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From the many podcasts and books I've read about "success", they always focus on financial things, but rarely true happiness. I'm not arguing against that approach, but financial success basically comes down to :
1. Hard work
2. Marketing
3. Luck (timing)

It's not a mystery, and luck plays a larger part than one would think. If you consider success more closely tied to happiness, then that's based on personal definitions. Owning more stuff does not always equate to success if you think success=happiness.

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BungCrosby

Oct 26, 2026 6:58 PM

51 Comments

Joined Nov 2024

BungCrosbyOct 26, 2026 6:58 PM

51 Comments

Quote from ratbastard

:

From the many podcasts and books I've read about "success", they always focus on financial things, but rarely true happiness. I'm not arguing against that approach, but financial success basically comes down to : 1. Hard work 2. Marketing 3. Luck (timing) It's not a mystery, and luck plays a larger part than one would think. If you consider success more closely tied to happiness, then that's based on personal definitions. Owning more stuff does not always equate to success if you think success=happiness.

I think it's more like:
1. Financial circumstances
2. Luck (timing)
3. Hard work
4. Marketing

We like to pretend that our economy is a meritocracy, but it's so far from it. Stanford dropouts with well-to-do families and vaporware get millions in seed funding for projects (looking at you, Lucas Duplan and Elizabeth Holmes). On the other end of the spectrum, it seems like many IPO's are thinly disguised rug pulls of wealth extraction at the expense of people's 401(k)'s and investment portfolios. How is Adam Neumann still a billionaire after all the investor cash he set on fire at WeWork?

Last edited by BungCrosby October 26, 2026 at 01:18 PM.

8

francois

Oct 26, 2026 11:50 PM

490 Comments

Joined Jan 2004

francoisOct 26, 2026 11:50 PM

490 Comments

I don't know about the book but i used to listen to the podcast and it was rather entertaining.
I remember the ones with Michael Dell, the one with Jerry Murrel (5 guys) and Mike Cessario (liquid death), Curt Jones (Dippin' dots)

1

FuschiaJuice666

Oct 28, 2026 4:26 PM

223 Comments

Joined Feb 2026

FuschiaJuice666Oct 28, 2026 4:26 PM

223 Comments

Quote from BungCrosby

:

I think it's more like:
1. Financial circumstances
2. Luck (timing)
3. Hard work
4. Marketing

We like to pretend that our economy is a meritocracy, but it's so far from it. Stanford dropouts with well-to-do families and vaporware get millions in seed funding for projects (looking at you, Lucas Duplan and Elizabeth Holmes). On the other end of the spectrum, it seems like many IPO's are thinly disguised rug pulls of wealth extraction at the expense of people's 401(k)'s and investment portfolios. How is Adam Neumann still a billionaire after all the investor cash he set on fire at WeWork?

This is exactly right. People who come from immense financial backing have more opportunities to find a successful company, compared to people where one wrong move spells total financial collapse. The US president came from wealth and was able to fund dozens of failed businesses, only to still be a billionaire, and people associated that with being a successful businessman and still made him president. The lie sold in capitalistic societies is that all the person did was work hard and invest well, but we rarely hear about all of the failed investments and people underneath the billionaires who ACTUALLY earn the capital on their behalf. "Successful" is a label attributed to the richest person in a venture, regardless of how much effort they personally contributed, how many people they employed, or how often they failed. Everyone who doesn't make millions per year is part of a rat race perpetuated by the lie that we can also be rich if we just work harder for the born rich who capitalize on our labor. Books that make it sound simple are just another facet to the game, selling oversimplified dreams to people to increase the author's own personal wealth, where even the authors split the profits with rich publishers.

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Samwise Gamgee

Oct 29, 2026 12:13 AM

5.1K Comments

Joined Jan 2004

Samwise GamgeeOct 29, 2026 12:13 AM

5.1K Comments

Is there copy-able path or formula to being rich, quickly, easily?

ilbarbaro

Oct 29, 2026 2:19 AM

85 Comments

Joined Oct 2017

ilbarbaroOct 29, 2026 2:19 AM

85 Comments

Quote from FuschiaJuice666

:

This is exactly right. People who come from immense financial backing have more opportunities to find a successful company, compared to people where one wrong move spells total financial collapse. The US president came from wealth and was able to fund dozens of failed businesses, only to still be a billionaire, and people associated that with being a successful businessman and still made him president. The lie sold in capitalistic societies is that all the person did was work hard and invest well, but we rarely hear about all of the failed investments and people underneath the billionaires who ACTUALLY earn the capital on their behalf. "Successful" is a label attributed to the richest person in a venture, regardless of how much effort they personally contributed, how many people they employed, or how often they failed. Everyone who doesn't make millions per year is part of a rat race perpetuated by the lie that we can also be rich if we just work harder for the born rich who capitalize on our labor. Books that make it sound simple are just another facet to the game, selling oversimplified dreams to people to increase the author's own personal wealth, where even the authors split the profits with rich publishers.

Most billionaires did not come from money.

BlueCrowd8839

Oct 29, 2026 7:20 PM

139 Comments

Joined Jul 2022

BlueCrowd8839Oct 29, 2026 7:20 PM

139 Comments

Quote from ilbarbaro

:

Most billionaires did not come from money.

65% - 70% of billionaires come from middle class to upper class families. But they would have you think they came from poor families with their "self made" stories.

Most don't even mention that maybe mom and pop paid for college or that they got a 20-50k goodbye present when they move out of home. They don't mention how parents paid for their entire wedding.

All things that the poor's have to self fund because their parents are in no position to give a cent.

Per Forbes self made reporting:

7% of all billionaires actually come from families where they grew up below the poverty line in income.

38-45% came from stable middle or upper class families. Likely schooling fully paid for and financial backing as needed.

Approximately 30% grew up with highly wealthy families. Around 20% of those were provided elite schooling, trust funds, or direct money wealth transfer.

It all comes down to what you consider "coming from money".

7% true rags to riches is not even 1/10 of billionaires. Yet billionaires would have you thinking they all mainly came from rags.

Last edited by BlueCrowd8839 October 29, 2026 at 01:25 PM.

1

HienH3994

Oct 30, 2026 11:54 AM

32 Comments

Joined Jul 2013

HienH3994Oct 30, 2026 11:54 AM

32 Comments

Quote from FuschiaJuice666

:

This is exactly right. People who come from immense financial backing have more opportunities to find a successful company, compared to people where one wrong move spells total financial collapse. The US president came from wealth and was able to fund dozens of failed businesses, only to still be a billionaire, and people associated that with being a successful businessman and still made him president. The lie sold in capitalistic societies is that all the person did was work hard and invest well, but we rarely hear about all of the failed investments and people underneath the billionaires who ACTUALLY earn the capital on their behalf. "Successful" is a label attributed to the richest person in a venture, regardless of how much effort they personally contributed, how many people they employed, or how often they failed. Everyone who doesn't make millions per year is part of a rat race perpetuated by the lie that we can also be rich if we just work harder for the born rich who capitalize on our labor. Books that make it sound simple are just another facet to the game, selling oversimplified dreams to people to increase the author's own personal wealth, where even the authors split the profits with rich publishers.

So true.

1

HienH3994

Oct 30, 2026 11:57 AM

32 Comments

Joined Jul 2013

HienH3994Oct 30, 2026 11:57 AM

32 Comments

Quote from ilbarbaro

:

Most billionaires did not come from money.

I still feel luck plays more of a part than most of them would admit.

1

SociableMint474

Oct 30, 2026 12:00 PM

9 Comments

Joined Oct 2026

SociableMint474Oct 30, 2026 12:00 PM

9 Comments

Living within your means is a better strat than trying to get rich

1

rudan

Nov 2, 2026 12:49 AM

42 Comments

Joined Nov 2012

rudanNov 2, 2026 12:49 AM

42 Comments

Quote from francois

:

I don't know about the book but i used to listen to the podcast and it was rather entertaining.
I remember the ones with Michael Dell, the one with Jerry Murrel (5 guys) and Mike Cessario (liquid death), Curt Jones (Dippin' dots)

The book is very nice, but it consists of basically the same stories from the podcast. When the book first came out, all of the most fascinating stories told on podcast up to that point was basically in the book. I was hoping to get some stories not discussed on the pod, or some insights Guy found during those interviews, but fell short on that front. Still a very nice read nonetheless.

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