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Comment by comstock | Hacker News Reader

The last sentence really stuck home to me (edited for clarity):

While these Red Ocean ideas may not result in creating multibillion dollar companies they do offer opportunity that can lead to riches and personal autonomy.

It’s sad that we live in a world where the goal of personal autonomy is so lofty. We have an over abundance of resources in the West. And yet having the freedom to work on useful things under our own direction is rare. It’s a shame that having “autonomy” is such a difficult goal to obtain.

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While is the US is moving slightly backwards... In most of the developed world we have never had as much free time, vacation and money as we do now.

You don't need to have your own business to have some degree of personal autonomy. In many ways you'll have fewer responsibilities if you're just an employee, and a larger degree of self-determination.

I'm not necessarily convinced doing your own business is a guide to happiness. That said, author has a point, if you do want to try, maybe avoid VC money. It's easier to become profitable if you're not dragged down by investors who needs to profit first.

You're underestimating how expensive that goal is. Providing every adult with basic income so that they can pursue their dreams would bankrupt the country.

I’m not really talking about providing a basic income.

What I’m saying is the barrier to having “personal autonomy” in a society where providing the essentials of life has to a high degree already been automated, is too high.

How would we provide the essentials of life other than through basic income or a similar welfare program?

Work for a year then take two years off? Or retire earlier? Again, I didn’t say that people wouldn’t work at all. I said that the barrier to obtaining a personal autonomy is too high in a society where providing the essentials of life has been largely automated.

We keep people working by making it had to survive otherwise (high rents that don’t represent the maintainence/construction costs etc).

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