I know, I know. This sounds like the set up for a terrible dad joke. But according to Steve Jobs – a man who was not only worth many a billion in his own time but lay the very foundation for the world’s most valuable + profitable company (as of: April 2020) – there’s a clear distinction between billionaires and the rest of us. Aside from the nine figures, of course.Â
In a Quora thread titled “Do billionaires know something that normal people don’t?”, venture capital investor Patrick Mathieson directed attention towards one particular Jobs quote that apparently “encapsulates the billionaire mentality”:
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”
Mathieson, whose credentials include working closely with at least two billionaires as well as being featured on Business Insider, explains that there’s a notion that most if not all members of the three-comma club internalise. Essentially, they tend to view the world as pliable, meaning always subject to change under the right conditions.
“With enough pressure applied to an endeavour (either through effort, application of capital, or public support), sufficiently resourceful people really can change the world… Contrast that with the rest of us who are more likely to assume the state of the world as static or given.”
It’s rather uplifting if you really think about it. You are no less capable (and no less human) than the great figures who have come before you, carved out something for themselves, and created a lasting legacy.
