That individuals won’t optimize their wealth beyond $100m, $1b, or really any number just doesn’t square with observable behavior.

To the end user they are indistinguishable from other video ads on the platform except the ad read is often (not always) done by the creator.

I don’t have hard data on the ratio but it’s not uncommon for a 10 minute video to have 1-2 minutes of full-interrupt ad segments embedded in the video.

Almost all countries below the US have much more immediate concerns about physical safety.

Having been a semi-pro sports bettor for a short stint as it went through legalization in the U.S., I’ve personally had tens of thousands wagered on sports teams I’ve never heard of before. Over the course of thousands of bets it becomes statistically inevitable that you have wagers placed right before major news (both for and against you).

It’s even entirely possible this individual has some or all their position hedged on another platform effectively capture a tiny arbitrage in the market.

There’s tons of upstart market makers on these prediction markets doing hundreds of thousands in volume a week as they provide liquidity, grinding out small edges in a way you’d never be able to know their true exposure to any one market across platforms.

It’s of course entirely possible this is an insider, but as a journalist you need something more than a large bet + good timing. Out of millions of wagers there will inevitably be plenty of random people who bet on a football game 5 minutes before the quarterback gets injured purely out of dumb luck.

Within 5 miles of me with 2 adults and 2 kids and $100, you could go to a trampoline park, ropes course, bowling, hours at an arcade, water park, race go-karts, several months of pool membership, or 5+ museums. Possibly 2 of those activities.

For free there’s dozens of playgrounds, courts and fields for any sport, community and religious-sponsored events, and after you can get a nice sit down meal with money leftover from your $100 budget.

$100 would be above many families entire entertainment budget for a week.

I realize libertarians by nature have unique viewpoints but that feels like a bit of a mischaracterization. In general libertarians support a smaller government that increases focu on areas where societal collaboration is strictly necessary like roads, police, and firefighters while by default opposing government involvement in other areas beyond baseline rule of law (like NIMBY zoning).

Extending their taxation or economic system to a larger, more populous, diverse, and economically fractured society would lose most of the reasons they're succeeding.

I'm happy to concede Massachusetts may very well have found the right balance, but there's plenty of studies on this in aggregate.

There's unsurprisingly a modest but statistically significant migration of millionaires from high-tax to low-tax jurisdictions.

https://www.asanet.org/wp-content/uploads/attach/journals/ju...

https://www.asanet.org/wp-content/uploads/attach/journals/ju...

To control for this look at NYC's share of the nation's millionaires, which shrank from 6.5% in 2010 to 4.2% in 2022.

https://cbcny.org/research/hidden-cost-new-yorks-shrinking-m...

In anecdotal conversations with neighbors I was absolutely shocked they were relatively indifferent. It looks like I’m going to have to move to have basic privacy and safety if these campaigns aren’t quickly successful.

However, jobs that pay $300k vastly over-index to a few coastal major metros, where $300k a year is at the lower end of ever being able to own even a condo within a reasonable commute.