Malcolm Gladwell would rather have a dad who makes $100,000 than $1 billion: Extreme wealth is ‘quite crippling to your motivation’

Being part of a millionaire—or even billionaire—family might sound like a dream. But according to Malcolm Gladwell, extreme wealth can actually rob children of something important: the motivation to succeed on their own.

“I would rather have a dad who made $100,000 than have than a billion,” Gladwell said in a 2009 lecture at Microsoft that has recently resurfaced on social media. “I think that having a father with a billion dollars would actually be quite crippling to your motivation, and so that’s an advantage that’s actually a disadvantage.”

For Gladwell, who has amassed an estimated $30 million net worth through his work as a journalist, best-selling author, and podcaster, the point isn’t that every child needs to grow up struggling to make ends meet. Rather, there’s a sweet spot b...