Jim Pattison in Canada has a net worth of 4.9 Billion. I watched an interview with him on TV, and he said...
"People ask me, why not retire and go lay on a beach somewhere and enjoy life?" He says he's tried that, and it's not for him. He's happiest when he's at his desk making money.
Some of these multi-millionaires and billionaires can't stop. Their life path has been the accumulation of wealth, and it isn't a hobby. It's a way of life for them.
To the rest of us, it looks like they are addicted to greed, but they don't see it that way. I wish they would though.. because this stifles innovation that could come from the small guy if the marketplace was more varied and not so monopolized, controlled, and patented to the "nth degree".
I think you are spot on with this. People who are absurdly rich got that way because they are driven and focused with an intensity above & beyond what many people can muster. They would probably become restless and bored quite quickly, sitting on a beach all day doing nothing. Habits are hard to break, and if your lifelong habit is making money, then good luck giving it up.
I actually have no problem with billionaires who make money and then use it to move us forward as a society, for example the way Elon Musk used his paypal money to start Telsa and SpaceX. I do however have a problem with billionaires who just hoard their money and save it for generations to come.
I agree with you. There is a very thin circle of billionaires who use their money to better the world. Sure, lots of them pour money into charties and such. But I like the innovative type like the ones you described.