In the Current Era, Not All Porcelain Is Wealth—Only What Sells Counts

Wealth accrues to productive capacity that can be sold.

There are many reasons people buy—and often, they aren’t buying the product. They’re buying the founder’s story, the persona behind the brand.

The word “inheritance” has always meant inheriting a stream of productive capacity. But as productivity breaks through critical thresholds and capacity becomes increasingly abundant—more like a public platform or a giant stage—it’s no longer scarce. If you can sell, if you can turn capacity into wealth, it will produce for you on demand.

It’s becoming more like public infrastructure—a resource that flows wherever it’s needed.

Take today’s top-streaming influencers or Xiaomi—their success is rooted in reorganizing upstream supply-chain capacity.

If you want to take over, you can’t just inherit the old story. You have to write a new one.

What’s the best way to pass the baton? Is it “you love me, so now you’ll love my child”? No. It’s this: while I’m alive, you love me. After I’m gone, you hate me—for that very reason, you pity my child. And from pity comes affection. And so my child genuinely inherits my place, taking my customers along the way.

That’s the highest level of open conspiracy.