On trade and commerce

I love trade.

Trade makes the world go round. Trade allows us to focus on what we do best. Trade helps us build value and share it with the others. Trade requires diversity to work. Trade, simply put, is the ultimate enabler of progress.

What I don’t like, though, is commerce.

Commerce is about finding the source of profits, exploiting it and defending it. Commerce punishes ineffectiveness. Commerce requires like-mindness to work. Commerce is a focus in itself. Commerce, at the end of the day, is zero-sum.

You need both aspects to build a business, but most businesses will naturally gravitate towards one or another.