> The good old "Bill Gates the bootstrapped college dropout" argument. These myths never die.
You appear to be refuting a claim that was not made in the GP post or in the Forbes article they cited.
Grandparent only said that Gates is among the top 3 riches and is not going to pass on his wealth, they did NOT claim that Gates was born poor or otherwise among the self-made millionaires.
Similarly Forbes lists Gates as the richest person, but makes no claims whatsoever about how he made his fortune. There are two independent claims there and at no time does either source claim that Gates is in the self-made group.
Your QZ article is more responsive, but it boils down to saying that one needs access to capital to start a business. This is not really surprising and ensuring that any capable person can get funding is why we have things like YC. If there's any group out there with good ideas that's being systematically ignored or denied funding, you and anyone else could make big money by investing in them. All you need to do is prove there's an opportunity being ignored and people will jump on it, chasing the money.
A million dollars is rather achievable with a good education, good health and drive, provided you live in a developed part of the world and can keep expenses lower than earnings. Hopefully we someday develop the rest of the world, as well as making sure that everyone can get all the education and healthcare they need, so that this level of success no longer boils down to luck.
You appear to be refuting a claim that was not made in the GP post or in the Forbes article they cited.
Grandparent only said that Gates is among the top 3 riches and is not going to pass on his wealth, they did NOT claim that Gates was born poor or otherwise among the self-made millionaires.
Similarly Forbes lists Gates as the richest person, but makes no claims whatsoever about how he made his fortune. There are two independent claims there and at no time does either source claim that Gates is in the self-made group.
Your QZ article is more responsive, but it boils down to saying that one needs access to capital to start a business. This is not really surprising and ensuring that any capable person can get funding is why we have things like YC. If there's any group out there with good ideas that's being systematically ignored or denied funding, you and anyone else could make big money by investing in them. All you need to do is prove there's an opportunity being ignored and people will jump on it, chasing the money.