I guess the point is that to reach the billion scale, you cannot be doing all of the important part on your own... So somehow, out of all the hardworking smart people you gathered yourself with, you decide that you're the genius that needs to benefit from the market value, while everyone else just gets compensated for their time...
The actual people doing the actual work, day to day, talking to prospects, building the things... But you had the idea, so it's just natural that you get the vast majority of the reward.
Maybe that makes sense to you... And like I disagree, but that's cool... But I cannot picture myself ever becoming a billionaire... I would have shared so much with the people that contributed to make me be a 100-millionaire way too much to reach the next step... And I'm sure I'd be happy to have 100 millions, and have people happy to get great compensation to do that with me...
Still, I agree it's not stealing. But the fairness of the situation is still up for debate.
One of the most difficult things a person can do is organize other people, especially when it comes to untested startup businesses. It's not just "having an idea".
Do you feel like the cafeteria workers at SpaceX who were paid standard cafeteria wages when they started plus some equity that everybody considered worthless at the time and now makes them multimillionaires feel like they were treated unfairly?
I am struggling to understand where the unfair part is coming from. Nobody is making anybody do anything. Everything is transparent and above board. Everybody in this scenario is willingly working market wages (except for founders and early hires who work below market and take equity for a couple years because they believe in the idea)
> the cafeteria workers at SpaceX who were paid standard cafeteria wages when they started plus some equity that everybody considered worthless at the time and now makes them multimillionaires feel like they were treated unfairly?
No I feel that's how it should be everywhere.
> Nobody is making anybody do anything.
I strongly disagree with that part. A CEO as an individual is not, indeed. But capitalism and the job market in general is forcing people to work, for sure... And even though the global wealth keeps increasing, and rich people keep getting significantly richer, the situation of the poor does not improve, and sometimes social benefits are reduced, access is made more difficult... Because it's important that some people still "agree" to work low paying jobs...
Is it really a fair choice if the alternative is to lose your home or starve ? This is exactly why child labor is forbidden for example. You can tell it's morally wrong. But it's been explicitely forbidden, because it used to happen, and people who defended it were claiming that it allowed kids to help their families and so on, but it also drove wages down, increase the workers' pool so they would compete more for the job, etc...
Maybe the market feels fair to you because you have skills people compensate for, but for people working minimum wages jobs, the market isn't fair, they absolutely have to get those jobs, otherwise they're on the streets...