Every year, reports appear stating that the number of super-rich individuals worldwide and in the Netherlands is increasing, and that they are becoming wealthier. But who are they, exactly? And in relative terms, are we not all wealthy in the Netherlands?
If we want to build a world of equality and care for the planet, we cannot continue to think within the frameworks of the current system that has created inequality and exhaustion. It requires a different consciousness and the courage to see what often remains invisible: the silent, all-encompassing influence of large corporations, the super-rich, and our own place in the world. How do we relate to that? Where does our own influence lie?
Winners Take All
When I read the book Winners Take All by Anand Giridharadas, I was struck by his sharp analysis of a paradoxical reality. Those who have profited most from the global economic system over recent decades present themselves as its saviors. The book invites reflection on power, our own responsibility, and the limits of good intentions.
Anand Giridharadas knows the world of influence and wealth from the inside. He worked at McKinsey, wrote for The New York Times, and was a fellow at the Aspen Foundation, an organization that helps wealthy philanthropists spend their fortunes in ‘socially meaningful’ ways. From that perspective, he asks the uncomfortable question: can we truly trust those who have benefited most from an unfair system to make that same system more just?
In Winners Take All, Giridharadas takes us behind the scenes of the institutions and meetings where the rich and powerful of the world claim to fight for equality and justice in every possible way, except in ways that threaten their position or the social order at the top. They position themselves as saviors of the poor, richly rewarding ‘change leaders’ who redefine ‘change’ in ways that preserve the status quo, and strive to do more good, but rarely to do less harm.
Just as Russian oligarchs exert great influence and secure their interests through close ties with political power, the super-rich in the West also direct social directions and policy choices behind the scenes. The difference is that they do so more subtly, through philanthropy, lobbying, and technological innovation, keeping their power largely invisible to the general public. Systemic inequality and the concentration of power know no geographical or political boundaries. It is embedded in the dominant economic and social systems.
Power and wealth in the Netherlands and Europe
A concentration of wealth and influence is not only seen in the US, China, or Russia. Dutch and European multinationals and the super-rich also use fiscal structures and tax havens to keep a large part of their assets outside of public oversight. Philanthropy and foundations are used to address social problems, but never in ways that jeopardize their own interests or privileges.
Through lobbying and political influence, these elites influence policy choices that are favorable to their own position, while public institutions such as aid organizations, municipalities, healthcare institutions, and social services are under increasing pressure. Behind the scenes, they determine which changes are feasible and which problems remain largely out of sight. This dynamic shows that inequality and the concentration of power are embedded in the global capitalist system.
Philanthropy as an undemocratic exercise of power
Philanthropy appears to be a form of generosity, but it is often a way to maintain control over how change occurs. As Giridharadas says: wealthy people would rather give ten million to their own foundation than five million in taxes. In doing so, they not only maintain influence over the destination of their money but also evade the collective responsibility that should be shared through taxation.
Historian Rutger Bregman put that tension sharply into words in Davos: “Taxes, taxes, and the rest is bullshit.” An uncomfortable truth, because taxation is ultimately the most democratic form of solidarity we know. Public resources are being eroded worldwide, while the rich gain more and more say over where the money actually goes through foundations and lobbies. This creates a semblance of justice that, in reality, perpetuates inequality.
Giridharadas rightly asks the question: why should our most serious social problems be solved by an unelected upper class, the same people who erode public institutions through tax avoidance and political influence? His answer is clear: instead of relying on the crumbs of the winners, we must do the democratic, sometimes slow, but essential work of strengthening our collective institutions. That is the only sustainable path to true equality.
The illusion of progress
Under the guise of innovation and freedom, technological ‘solutions’ are presented that often do more harm than good. Companies like Meta, Uber, Airbnb, and Amazon promised freedom and efficiency, but have contributed globally to precarious work, disrupted city centers, and a culture of constant pressure to perform. Social media, intended to connect, amplifies feelings of stress, polarization, and unrest.
The new heroes of technology, billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk, present themselves as saviors of humanity. But while they invest billions in AI, space travel, and electric cars, the social and ecological costs of their enterprises remain largely out of view. Their ‘doing good’ seems primarily intended to build moral credit within the system that makes their power possible.
Among the super-rich, there are also those committed to a fairer tax system. Examples include the Patriotic Millionaires and the Australian Marlene Engelhorn, who campaign with the slogan Tax the rich. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, George Soros, and Eli Broad also advocate for a form of tax that should be levied on wealth. So far, this has not led to substantial changes.
Our own responsibility
Yet it would be too easy to point only at the super-rich. Anyone living in the West quickly belongs to the wealthiest ten percent of humanity in global terms. We benefit from the same structures that cause inequality, exploitation, and ecological damage. Our lifestyle, with abundant food, air travel, energy consumption, digital infrastructure, and consumer goods, demands many times more from the earth than it can sustainably support.
That realization is painful, but it also opens up space for responsibility. Because if we acknowledge that we, relatively speaking, are also part of the system of abundance and dominance, we can begin to change. Not out of guilt, but out of awareness. By embracing simplicity where abundance has become the norm. By asking: what do I truly need? How can my life contribute to restoration instead of exhaustion?
Change does not begin with the elite, but with the ability of each of us to translate our values into choices—in how we buy, work, travel, vote, and live together. In this way, awareness itself becomes an act of resistance against a system that depends on unconsciousness.
Recognizing the dominance system
When we begin to recognize the system, we can also make the choice to step out of it, both individually and collectively. Not through struggle, but through awareness: by acting from values such as equality, care, transparency, and connection. In this way, change is not something ‘the rich’ must do, but a movement in which we are all involved. Then ‘doing good’ can once again become something that belongs to all of us.
The power of the super-rich is often invisible, woven into the structures of economy, media, and culture. As soon as we begin to see that dynamic and acknowledge our own role within it, freedom of choice emerges. After all, we can shape our values, systems, and habits ourselves. Nonviolent communication and Mindfulness can contribute to discovering where our values and needs lie, and help us make conscious choices on a daily basis. Real change does not begin by waiting for so-called philanthropic saviors, but by rediscovering what collective ownership, solidarity, and conscious action truly mean, and what influence we ourselves have on them in our daily choices.