What it takes to be a billionaire

Perhaps trite, definitely another pebble in a mountain of commentary, but watching The Social Network movie last night taught me that to make a billion dollars takes more than just brains, it takes commitment. Obsession would be a better word. What Zuckerberg had to do to his friends (possibly apocryphal - but I think not) to get ahead was stark. He chose to do it, you could say, but he also wanted to do it for the purity of what he was doing. A lot of people called him an asshole. A lot of people came to take what he built (and he did build it, which is what matters). And he just chose to ignore them in favor of telling the truth. Screw everyone else.

The result was a good thing - facebook is a revolution - but the cost to Zuckerberg was high.

I was reminded of stories of Sam Walton, who made his money through willingness to take prices lower. I was also reminded of Steve Jobs, who was obsessed with building a sexy product - and thus birthed an intuitive interface that, I think, really drives the value of Apple.

So I look at my comfortable life and wonder where my obsession will come from. It could be from disgust with waste and it could come from a desire to stand tall in the books of history. But really, I know where it will come from - it comes from a desire to shape my own existence (and that of those I care for) - and I believe if you're not ahead of things, you are behind them. And if you're behind, it's only a matter of time before they come to bite you in the ass.

So where is my obsession - I'll tell you - it's the price of health care. It's disgusting, but to change it will take ruffling a few feathers, aka a little creative destruction.