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249 points randycupertino | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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stego-tech ◴[] No.45949690[source]
I feel kinda bad for the writer, because it's a good question: no, curing patients is not a good business model, just like public transit is not a good business model.

What a lot of folks neglect are N+1-order effects, because those are harder to quantify and fail to reach the predetermined decision some executive or board or shareholder has already made. Is curing patients a bad business model? Sure, for the biotech company it is, but those cured patients are far more likely to go on living longer, healthier lives, and in turn contribute additional value to society - which will impact others in ways that may also create additional value. That doesn't even get into the jobs and value created through the R&D process, testing, manufacturing, logistics of delivery, ongoing monitoring, etc. As long as the value created is more than the cost of the treatment, then it's a net-gain for the economy even if it's a net loss for that singular business.

If all you're judging is the first-order impacts on a single business, you're missing the forest for the trees.

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socalgal2 ◴[] No.45950250[source]
> ~public~ transit is not a good business model.

~public~ transit can be a good business model if it's setup correctly. The majority of Japan's 100 train companies are setup such that they own both trains and complementary interests. Office buildings, shopping centers, super markets, apartments. The better their trains are the better their other businesses do by delivering people to them. The better their other businesses are the more people want to use their trains.

https://ir.tokyu.co.jp/ja/ir/news/auto_20251111595684/pdfFil...

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1. xboxnolifes ◴[] No.45954481[source]
You're both kind of arguing the same thing. If the transit companies also own the places the people are traveling to, they are capturing the value of second order effects.
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2. xnx ◴[] No.45955966[source]
Eh, without that alignment of interests public transit agencies in the US only care about increasing their budgets. They are at best indifferent if the service is safe, fast, convenient, clean, efficient, etc.