Raising Ceilings, Lifting Floors: Capitalism’s Dual Mandate
In simple terms the consequences are:
1st order: Encourage people to make money → sparks more innovation.
2nd order: Distribute wealth broadly → builds a stronger social foundation.
3rd order: Enable a virtuous cycle of sustainable progress.
How?!
We should encourage people to create substantial wealth and then find ways to distribute that wealth broadly, sharing the compounded magic of capitalism.
One side cannot work without the other; you can’t raise the floor for long without also raising the ceiling.
The world ought to become richer every year through science and technology, but everyone needs to be in the “upward-moving elevator.”
I believe governments generally perform worse than markets, which is why we must foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
{This text was freely paraphrased from a July 4th tweet by Sam Altman - https://x.com/sama/status/1941151234775511328}