Billionaires Build

Paul Graham’s essay Billionaires Build argues that becoming a billionaire requires understanding and serving users’ needs—not exploiting people.

The Central Thesis

Because Y Combinator funds successful founders, and YC explicitly avoids exploitative individuals, exploitation cannot be the path to extreme wealth.

YC Selection Criteria

The organization seeks founders who grasp user needs and “Make something people want.” Startups lack the market power of large companies, so they must genuinely delight customers.

YC partners evaluate whether founders understand their users deeply enough to identify real, addressable needs.

Authentic Motivation Matters

Billionaires become wealthy through genuine interest in their work, not merely money-seeking. Founders motivated solely by profit typically accept early acquisition offers rather than building massive companies.

Why Politicians Misunderstand

Politicians conflate wealth inequality with illegitimate wealth creation. This misleads poor youth about wealth-building methods while advantaging those who observe real practices firsthand.

The Real Path

Fast-growing companies serving user desires consistently create billionaires—not deception or exploitation.

My Takeaway

Build something people want. That’s the path. Everything else is noise.

How do you think about wealth creation? I’d love to hear at persdre@gmail.com.