Adapted from a memo by Nick Hanauer published in Politico Magazine: Seeing where things are headed is the essence of entrepreneurship. And what do I see in our future now? I see pitchforks. The divide between the haves and have-nots is getting worse. And so I have a message for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: wake up, people. If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counter-examples. None. It’s not if, it’s when. Many of us think we’re immune to the same forces that started the Arab Spring — or the French and Russian revolutions, for that matter. And I know there are those of you who are convinced that because you saw a poor kid with an iPhone that one time, things aren’t so bad. But you’re living in a dream world. What everyone wants to believe is that when things go from being merely crappy for...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.