Because this is exactly how most people think about capitalism: “Rich people hoard stuff. Poor people get wrecked. The end.”
But that’s not what’s actually happening. Not when it works well, anyway.
Let’s break it down 👇
When I was a kid, I thought “business” meant:
Big buildings
Suits
Someone yelling “buy!” on TV
Nobody told me it actually meant:
Solving problems
For people
At scale
Now connect that to capitalism.
Most “normies” think: Capitalism = greed + hoarding + survival-of-the-fittest.
But what is it really when it functions?
It’s closer to:
You see a problem
You risk your time, energy, and money
You solve it better than others
You get rewarded
That reward isn’t random. It’s a signal.
The profit is the receipt that says: “People valued what you built more than the resources you used.”
No prices? No profit? No signal.
And without that signal… how do you know what to build? how much? for who?
You don’t.
That’s how you get:
10,000 tons of steel nobody needs
baby formula when people are desperate
Empty shelves and full warehouses
We’ve seen this movie before. Soviet Union. Mao. Anywhere that kills the entrepreneur.
Pokopia is cute. But it’s a fantasy.
In games, the food always respawns. The villagers never really starve. No one actually risks their life savings.
Real life is not that forgiving.
In the real world:
That “greedy” builder risking everything? They’re the reason you get:
iPhones
Uber
Same-day delivery
Cheap flights
Are there bad actors? Of course.
But saying “capitalism is just greed” is like saying: “Sports are just steroids and cheating.”
You’re focusing on the edge cases. You’re ignoring the system.
The system where:
Prices tell you what people want
Profits tell you where value is created
Losses tell you where value is destroyed
Remove that? You’re blind.
No prices → no information. No profit → no incentive. No incentive → no innovation.
“Everyone takes only what they need and contributes what they can.”
Sounds nice, right? Like a cozy PSA.
But who decides what you “need”? Who decides what you “can” contribute? A committee? A politician? Your boss?
I’ll take a messy market over a perfect planner any day.
Because at least in a messy market:
You can experiment
You can move
You can opt out
You can build
In planned systems? Fall in line. Or else.
Here’s the wild part: Most of the people who hate “capitalism”… …love the stuff capitalism creates.
They’re tweeting about “late-stage capitalism” …from a $1,000 phone …on an app built by venture capital …delivered over networks built by private firms …while waiting for DoorDash.
The irony writes itself.
Want a healthier society? We don’t need less capitalism. We need better capitalism.
That means:
Less cronyism
Less bailouts for failures
More skin in the game
More real competition
And yeah… way better economic education.
If people actually understood:
How prices work
How profit = value creation (when markets are competitive)
How entrepreneurship reallocates resources to higher uses
They wouldn’t say “capitalism is just greed.” They’d say: “Greed exists everywhere. Capitalism is just the only system that harnesses it into something useful.”
Here’s how I explain it to friends:
Anytime someone builds something people actually want, chances are they:
Make others better off
Get paid
Reinvest those profits
Create more value
Is it perfect? No. Is it better than fantasy economies where “everyone shares”? Look around. Compare outcomes.
So what do we do?
We build anyway. We teach anyway. We show, not just tell.
Because the best argument for capitalism isn’t a textbook. It’s:
That cafe on your corner
That indie game you love
That small business that took a risk—and made your life better
You want less “Tom Nook” energy in the world? Start companies that don’t exploit. Invest with a spine. Teach kids that business is about solving problems, not hoarding points.
Capitalism isn’t dead. People just forgot how it works.
Hey friend, this one hits home.
Because this is exactly how most people think about capitalism:
“Rich people hoard stuff. Poor people get wrecked. The end.”
But that’s not what’s actually happening.
Not when it works well, anyway.
Let’s break it down 👇
When I was a kid, I thought “business” meant:
Nobody told me it actually meant:
Now connect that to capitalism.
Most “normies” think:
Capitalism = greed + hoarding + survival-of-the-fittest.
But what is it really when it functions?
It’s closer to:
That reward isn’t random.
It’s a signal.
The profit is the receipt that says:
“People valued what you built more than the resources you used.”
No prices?
No profit?
No signal.
And without that signal…
how do you know what to build?
how much?
for who?
You don’t.
That’s how you get:
We’ve seen this movie before.
Soviet Union. Mao. Anywhere that kills the entrepreneur.
Pokopia is cute.
But it’s a fantasy.
In games, the food always respawns.
The villagers never really starve.
No one actually risks their life savings.
Real life is not that forgiving.
In the real world:
They’re the reason you get:
Are there bad actors?
Of course.
But saying “capitalism is just greed” is like saying:
“Sports are just steroids and cheating.”
You’re focusing on the edge cases.
You’re ignoring the system.
The system where:
Remove that?
You’re blind.
No prices → no information.
No profit → no incentive.
No incentive → no innovation.
“Everyone takes only what they need and contributes what they can.”
Sounds nice, right?
Like a cozy PSA.
But who decides what you “need”?
Who decides what you “can” contribute?
A committee? A politician? Your boss?
I’ll take a messy market over a perfect planner any day.
Because at least in a messy market:
In planned systems?
Fall in line. Or else.
Here’s the wild part:
Most of the people who hate “capitalism”…
…love the stuff capitalism creates.
They’re tweeting about “late-stage capitalism”
…from a $1,000 phone
…on an app built by venture capital
…delivered over networks built by private firms
…while waiting for DoorDash.
The irony writes itself.
Want a healthier society?
We don’t need less capitalism.
We need better capitalism.
That means:
And yeah…
way better economic education.
If people actually understood:
They wouldn’t say “capitalism is just greed.”
They’d say:
“Greed exists everywhere.
Capitalism is just the only system that harnesses it into something useful.”
Here’s how I explain it to friends:
Anytime someone builds something people actually want, chances are they:
Is it perfect? No.
Is it better than fantasy economies where “everyone shares”?
Look around. Compare outcomes.
So what do we do?
We build anyway.
We teach anyway.
We show, not just tell.
Because the best argument for capitalism isn’t a textbook.
It’s:
You want less “Tom Nook” energy in the world?
Start companies that don’t exploit.
Invest with a spine.
Teach kids that business is about solving problems, not hoarding points.
Capitalism isn’t dead.
People just forgot how it works.
Time to remind them.