Working For Nothing
You were told technology would set you free.
Instead, you’re sitting at a desk—scrolling between Slack messages, ChatGPT drafts, and finance apps telling you your rent just went up. Again.
Welcome to the new American economy, where everything got smarter except the part where you were supposed to benefit.
🤷️ The Greater Fool Theory, Applied to Life
In investing, the greater fool theory says you can profit off a bad asset—as long as there’s a bigger idiot willing to buy it from you later.
Now apply that to your labor, your time, your whole adult life.
We work jobs that don’t matter, for companies that don’t make money, building software no one uses, pushing paper no one reads, hoping someone will eventually buy the stock we’re granted for more than it’s worth.
We’re the fools. But we’re told someone greater is coming.
🧠 AI Is Writing This. You’re Still at Work.
It’s cute, really. While you’re optimizing LinkedIn profiles or scheduling your next Zoom call, an AI can already do your job. Sorta. Maybe not well. Maybe not safely. But cheaply.
And that’s all that matters…until it isn’t…
You’re not being paid to produce value. You’re being paid to stand in front of the automation long enough to not notice the trap.
Meanwhile, CEOs are cashing out. Valuations are propped up. And you’re still logging 40 hours a week to keep the illusion alive and the country goes into more and more debt.
🤚 Tech Was Never About You
Moore’s Law got faster. Your bills got higher.
For decades, we believed technology would create abundance. Instead, it created monopolies.
- You pay for Uber, but can’t afford a car.
- You pay for DoorDash, but can’t afford groceries.
- You pay for AI, but can’t afford a raise.
You were supposed to be the consumer. Now you’re the product and the subscription.
🌋 Productivity Isn’t the Problem
You’re more productive than ever. That’s the scam.
GDP went up. Tech exploded. And somehow your buying power went down.
This isn’t because you’re lazy. It’s because the value you create doesn’t go to you.
It goes to a shareholder. To a startup founder. To a billionaire who got there first and used your optimism as leverage.
⚡ The Truth Is Physical
Real value is work. Movement. Output. Energy burned.
Your body knows it. Your rent knows it. Even your phone, melting in your palm from overuse, knows it.
But the greater fool theory has no room for truth. It only needs you to believe that your life is an asset someone else will want to buy.
Spoiler: They won’t. They already automated it.
🔺 So Why Are You Still Working?
Because you still believe. Because you’re still hoping to cash out before the music stops. Because someone on YouTube said Tesla will hit $3,000 per share.
Because you were told you’re smarter than your parents. Because your job has a Slack channel with a meme channel in it. Because you’re scared of what happens when you stop.
Because you’ve mistaken activity for agency.
🤔 Maybe It’s Time to Opt Out
Not from life. Not from tech. But from the delusion.
Ruck a mile. Fix something. Grow something. Make something heavy move.
Do something that doesn’t need a boss, a share price, or a login.
Because you’re not the greater fool. You’re just the last one still pretending it all makes sense.
