Scott Matter on Nostr: When we read / hear the word “investment” we need to be careful to recognize that ...

When we read / hear the word “investment” we need to be careful to recognize that it does not mean “gift” or “contribution” or anything of the sort. It means something more like a loan, and it is implied that it will be repaid with interest.

People make investments because they expect to profit from them. To do that, the thing they’re investing in needs to be useful to extract “surplus” value, whether through underpaying for labor or materials, through overcharging for purchase or use of services on the other end, or a combination of both.

There’s no altruism or generosity in investment.