Comments on: Democracy or Profit? Ask Buckmaster

By: Information Architects Japan » iA Notebook » Technorati: Big business with bogus data

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:18:51 +0000

[...] « Previous | Next » [...]

By: Federico

Federico — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 14:31:23 +0000

Not A Craig Fan: He doesn't think he's a hero, and no one gives a s*** what you buy.

By: Rick McCharles

Rick McCharles — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 15:13:19 +0000

[...] Democracy or profit? Ask Buckmaster [...]

By: yashke.com » Web 2.0 czyli utopia w praktyce

yashke.com » Web 2.0 czyli utopia w praktyce — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:14:05 +0000

[...] Marksizm to może jednak zbyt brzydkie określenie. Tak naprawdę nie chodzi o marksizm a o demokrację. [...]

By: joey

joey — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 01:13:28 +0000

Also, Ebay owns a chunk of Craigslist bought almost directly from Craig's idealism.

I'm sure Craigslist turns a decent profit, at least more than enough to pay their employees. I only wish Tokyo Craigslist didn't suck so much.

By: Oliver Reichenstein

Oliver Reichenstein — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 01:12:45 +0000

The disussion is indeed not about good vs bad man, but about what (business) success means. And there I totally understand Buckmaster. The only reason why I would want to make a lot of money is security:

Make sure I have enough to send my kids to a good school
Make sure I have enough to live comfortably when I'm old
Make sure I have enough to afford good health care
Make sure I have enough to stay independent and do what I like to do

And Craig and Buckmaster have these securities. In plus they are free of big money obligations. What do you need more?

That they don't give into the big bucks is a sign of not just intelligence but wisdom. That they prove the greedy cynics 100% wrong, is not their main intent, it's the logic consequence of rational ethical behaviour.

Again we are reminded of Kant's treatise "On Theory and Practice". That there are unethical practices doesn't prove ethic theory to be wrong, such as criminal acts don't question the necessity of law.

What I'd like to see is a shift in economic perspective: From profit maximisation to product maximisation.

Greed and envy are human conditions that will never change. Yet the function of civilization is to control those and thus maximize the collective potential. I'd like to see a more civilized economy.

I am optimisitic in one sense. I believe that the overall the economy would do better without the current abuse.

By: NewMan

NewMan — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 00:56:59 +0000

Not A Craig Fan: He doesn't think he's a hero, and no one gives a s*** what you buy.

Craig is just a good businessman. Surprisingly nowadays good business doesn't mean highest profit but best product. Is that so hard to understand?

By: Not A Craig Fan

Not A Craig Fan — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 22:31:04 +0000

Craig is making lots of money other ways - for example, what he did with real estate ads in New York City. He thinks he's a hero to the people, while he's never ever had to find an apartment in Manhattan during high season, nor does he have a New York real estate license.

I don't buy any of the .org nonsense.

By: The Geek

The Geek — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:27:14 +0000

My remark was indeed a bit of tongue-in-cheek...

Still, everybody wants something. The misnomer is thinking that everybody wants money... some people want bragging rights, some people want to feel that they are helping others... it's very rare to find somebody that does something truly to help others without any benefit to themselves.

Regardless, I do admire the man's position, and wish there were more people like him in the corporate world.

As far as checking by, I read your blog religiously =)

By: Oliver Reichenstein

Oliver Reichenstein — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 15:33:10 +0000

The Geek,

They do charge for jobs. But just enough to cover the costs. If you really wonder if they do what the do, so they can spit in the face of Wallstreet, that’s actually a pretty sad reaction… Wait a second… you are kidding me, right? If not, you should actually check by more often…