Joel Gross's Blog

Adam Smith said that to have an efficient free market, there needs to be perfect competition. Perfect competition is when all parties are free to transact or not transact as they please and information on prices is clear to everyone. Perfect competition is the best possible scenario for consumers (you and I, our families, and our friends) because it means we always get the best value for services and goods we buy.… read more “Free Markets Need Perfect Competition”

Government handouts destroy the motivation of corporations and individuals to do better.

When corporations go bankrupt, it seems like a sad event, but in reality it is clearing market room for new entries to be able to start up and take share. Instead of allowing corporations to go bankrupt in the 2007 market crash and in the 2020 market crash, we have given them massive government handouts.… read more “Stop Government Handouts”

I have never taken an IQ test that asked questions related to insight into someone trying to take advantage of you. A fundamental factor in my success and every self made business owner I know is that they are better than most people at detecting frauds, scams, dishonesty. It is almost a requirement for a good business owner to develop a deep sense of when someone is scamming you, because someone with money will run into dozens of scams a day trying to take your money.… read more “Underrated Intelligence Factor: Scam Detection”

I receive emails from venture capitalists and private equity constantly. Mostly I see them as annoying spam, but the reality is that this is a predatory industry that does more harm to American GDP than even payday loan sharks or the cigarette companies. Sometimes I reply to troll a little bit. I am sharing this conversation below to demonstrate why all successful founders should steer clear of them.… read more “Conversation with a Venture Capitalist”

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/02/why-is-california-closing-diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant.html

My pet conspiracy theory: all of the anti-nuclear fear and activists are bankrolled by big oil.

How else can you explain humans turning their backs on the safest and cleanest form of energy per megawatt we have ever created?

Anecdotal data: two years ago I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis stage four and told I needed surgery immediately. I spent months researching studies on osteoarthritis. What I found is that switching exercise from golf to cycling, stopping running and other impact exercises, generally following some of the rules of the anti-inflammatory index diet, and taking supplements has entirely removed my pain and I am fully functional for daily activities.… read more “Stage 4 Osteoarthritis of the Hip”

I love the first three seasons of Rick and Morty and could not recommend them enough to other people. The last two seasons though have just not been funny.

Season 5 completely lacks comedic timing. They simply tried to cram as much action and jokes as they possibly could into each episode. A lot of the jokes would be quite funny if they were focused on and given the time to develop and then land, but instead the extremely frenetic pace just leaves you staring at the screen.… read more “Rick and Morty season 5 review”

The US government specifically gives a major advantage to certain races and sexes in awarding contracts. Women are strongly preferred to men, and blacks are preferred to whites.

If the government wants to end racism and sexism, how can it possibly think that doing that same racism and sexism is the solution?

The US government awarding contracts based on racism and sexism means that no one thinks the people who won those contracts got them fairly on merit… even if they were truly the most deserving to win.… read more “US Government Sanctioned Racism and Sexism in Contracting”