>Take Elon Musk — tremendous positive-sum deals with people everywhere, and all together, that's what got him to the top.

Ah yes, "tremendous" positive-sum deals like:

>Musk admitted to his biographer Ashlee Vance that Hyperloop was all about trying to get legislators to cancel plans for high-speed rail in California—even though he had no plans to build it.

https://time.com/6203815/elon-musk-flaws-billionaire-visions...

▲

kindkang2024 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Hyperloop was all about trying to get legislators to cancel plans

Sorry, I don't know the full story behind Hyperloop. But I really doubt he is trying to play a zero-sum or negative-sum game as the article hinted.

Setting aside all the disputes — the deals he made with people are positive-sum. Nobody is forced to buy a Tesla, or invest in, or work for SpaceX.

And in my personal view, all the article brings is deconstructive criticism — which does not fit my tastes. Maybe because I believe the world doesn't owe anyone anything. In fact, to make money, most of the time you have to play a positive-sum game and bring value to others. There is no shame in seeking profit — there is glory in it, if it comes through a positive-sum game.

Those who complain — they can always reject the deal and choose something else. And even better, go offer or support better products in the market and help the best one win.

▲

borski 2 hours ago | parent [-]

> In fact, to make money, you have to play a positive-sum game and bring value to others.

That is simply untrue; the opposite is the literal definition of rent-seeking behavior, which produces gobs of money, but provides no (or very little, at best) new value to others.

▲

kindkang2024 an hour ago | parent [-]

> That is simply untrue;

Fair point — updated to "most of the time."

> the opposite is the literal definition of rent-seeking behavior, which produces gobs of money, but provides no (or very little, at best) new value to others.

Rent-seeking is real, and you're right that it can be very profitable — while creating very little value for others. But even so, it remains the best available option when nobody else steps up to offer something better in free markets.

There are always two sides to any deal — the deal maker and the taker. The more competition on the maker side, the more value the taker can get. And the more takers demand real value, the less room rent-seeking behavior has to survive.

	▲	borski an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Agreed on all points; and I think that's precisely what this post argues people should do. > The days of rent seekers are coming to an end. But not because there will be no more rent seeking, it’s because rent seeking is a 0 sum game and you will lose at it to bigger players. If you have a job like that, or work at a company like that, the sooner you quit the better your outcome will be. This is the real driver of the layoffs, the big players consolidating the rent seeking to them.

▲

kubb 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

When will they learn it’s not about value, but about power and perception of value is just means to that?