The phrase “tax the rich” can be “just as hateful as some disgusting racial slurs”, according to the New York City billionaire Steve Roth, who said that the top 1% should be “praised and thanked”.
Speaking on his company’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, Roth, the CEO of Vornado Realty Trust, expressed his support for fellow billionaire and the CEO of Citadel, Ken Griffin, who was singled out in the 15 April announcement by New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, of the state’s first “pied-à-terre” tax on second homes valued at more than $5m. In a video, Mamdani announced the policy in front of Griffin’s penthouse, which he said was purchased for $238m.
“We are all shocked that our young mayor would pull this stunt in front of Ken’s home and single him out for ridicule,” Roth said. “This was both irresponsible and dangerous.”
Edit: Mamdani’s video that sparked this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLKZnVB4F9k
I think we can make an exception for Gaben
I hear what you’re saying, but counterpoint:
I’d prefer Steam’s helpdesk staff were paid more, and their janitors, and their contractors, and anyone else involved in making that business work. Gabe doesn’t NEED a new yacht. Some of the people working for him do NEED healthcare.
Gabe is definitely on the not-a-monster side of the billionaire spectrum, but you don’t get that much money with purely your output. You get lucky and have a good idea at the right time, inherit, or rent-seek. Two of those are stupid reasons to have immense wealth, and I don’t think getting lucky is worth the vast gulf between billionaire and struggling-to-get-by.
I think if we could have a wealth cap… say 10 billion right now, an absurd sum, where it’s almost impossible to even spend it all… and after you pass that amount you get fed to a wood chipper; then we would see a lot fewer billionaires and a better world.
Eh…acceptable collateral
Someone could tip him off ahead of time so he can donate to charitable causes down to 900 million.