I would hope he isn't "destroying lives" as that would mean the individual had invested his/her life savings, or a substantial % of his/her net worth in a penny stock, which in and of itself is just plain stupid. The problem I have with Mr. Hoffman's business practice is that he doesn't grow revenue by creating a product that people are willing to buy, he does it by "outsmarting" people, which is basically taking advantage of his position vs theirs. That's the only true "evil" in this world. I wrote Kate an email explaining this concept to which she did not reply back. One of the major differences between our species, and all the other animals on earth is that we have the capacity to feel what others feel, and think how others think. We can "place ourselves" in other peoples bodies/minds in order to copy and perfect. No other animal can do this, besides some of the more developed primates. This capacity allows us to understand the needs of others and provide for them, but it also allows us to, either due to intelligence, or position of power, understand how others think; in order to take advantage of them. I have no problem with either side, and I understand that all businesses operate with some form of ERM, it's competition. My problem is that Mr. Hoffman doesn't create anything tangible that people actually appreciate, like say Apple. He isn't changing the world. All he is doing is running a business, to outsmart less intelligent/ less powerful people, without providing anything good in return.
The sham only lasts for so long, until you piss off the wrong person with the right connections..
