We love to say capitalism rewards ambition. That it backs the bold, funds the risk-takers, and champions innovation. But the truth is far uglier: the system doesn’t reward ambition. It neutralizes it.
Brilliant, world-changing ideas die in pitch decks while safe, forgettable trash gets showered with funding. Visionaries are told to “narrow the focus,” “cut the weird stuff,” and “make it more like what already exists.” Translation: make it boring enough to be digestible. Make it small enough to control.
This is not a game of risk and reward. It’s a game of risk and rejection. Unless your ambition fits neatly into a pre-approved mold, you’re not considered brave. Instead, you’re considered a liability.
Investors don’t want vision. They want validation. They want yesterday’s formula with tomorrow’s price tag. And if you’re dreaming of new paradigms, new structures, new ways of moving through the world? Good luck. They’ll smile politely and tell you McDonald’s just sold burgers and fries. As if that’s the apex of imagination.
Late-stage capitalism doesn’t lack money. It lacks nerve. It punishes the courageous and rewards the cynical. It’s built to optimize, not to transform. And that’s why so many truly revolutionary ideas never see the light of day. Not because they can’t work, but because they threaten the architecture of mediocrity.
If your idea has the power to rewire culture, shift consciousness, or awaken meaning—expect resistance. The system isn’t broken. It’s doing exactly what it was designed to do: preserve itself.
So stop waiting for permission. The system is allergic to vision.
— Wout
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