Say that I develop a new kind of solar panel, that is 10 times as effective while being a quarter of the cost as current alternatives.
I sell them cheaper than the alternatives, the manufacturing process requires less staff so I can pay them very well, with plenty of vacation times and low stress work.
I make a small profit on each panel, but they sell increadibly well and money just rolls in, I am busy managing the company, and don’t have time to look at my personal finances other than to make sure that my taxes are paid and I am not being stolen from.
I live in Sweden while doing this, a country with a progressive tax code, I don’t try to hide anything from the tax man.
Despite high taxes, money just keeps rolling in.
Finally I am ready to retire, the product still sells very well, but I don’t have the energy to deal with it anymore, so I make a highly controversial decision, I release the patent to the public domain, no one can own it, everyone can use it, I don’t want some random patent troll to get their hand on it and exploit it.
As I retire I check my balance and see that I have 1.02 billion dollars.
Where did I break the social contract, and deserve to be killed?
I know the scenario is absurd, but I enjoy finding the limits of rules and other scenarios.
If you were able to get such an absurd amount of money out of it, you definitely didn’t pay the people who did the manufacturing and mining etc. enough for their work. If you did, would wouldn’t have become a billionaire in your lifetime.
Broke the social contract?
Say that I develop a new kind of solar panel, that is 10 times as effective while being a quarter of the cost as current alternatives.
I sell them cheaper than the alternatives, the manufacturing process requires less staff so I can pay them very well, with plenty of vacation times and low stress work.
I make a small profit on each panel, but they sell increadibly well and money just rolls in, I am busy managing the company, and don’t have time to look at my personal finances other than to make sure that my taxes are paid and I am not being stolen from.
I live in Sweden while doing this, a country with a progressive tax code, I don’t try to hide anything from the tax man.
Despite high taxes, money just keeps rolling in.
Finally I am ready to retire, the product still sells very well, but I don’t have the energy to deal with it anymore, so I make a highly controversial decision, I release the patent to the public domain, no one can own it, everyone can use it, I don’t want some random patent troll to get their hand on it and exploit it.
As I retire I check my balance and see that I have 1.02 billion dollars.
Where did I break the social contract, and deserve to be killed?
I know the scenario is absurd, but I enjoy finding the limits of rules and other scenarios.
If you were able to get such an absurd amount of money out of it, you definitely didn’t pay the people who did the manufacturing and mining etc. enough for their work. If you did, would wouldn’t have become a billionaire in your lifetime.
That is an interesting point, that I didn’t consider, thank you for taking my scenario seriously