Why Your Salary Isn’t Theft — It’s Business

Recently, I came across a rant from a hired programmer on social media. He found out that the company was charging clients three times more for his work than what they actually pay him. Naturally, he felt used, like he was being taken advantage of.

You’re Angry Because You Don’t Understand How Business Works

Recently, I came across a rant from a hired programmer on social media. He found out that the company was charging clients three times more for his work than what they actually pay him. Naturally, he felt used, like he was being taken advantage of.

But if you’ve ever built a business from the ground up, paid taxes, found clients, hired and fired people — you wouldn’t post stuff like that. Because you know the truth. And the truth is, the main goal of any business is to make money. Not to share it equally, not to be nice guys, but to turn a profit.

Where Does the Price of Your Work Actually Go?

When a business sells your hours at three times your salary, it’s not just pocketing the difference. Here’s what really costs money:

• Taxes — payroll taxes, income taxes, property taxes, and more. Sometimes they eat up to 40% of the revenue.
• Office Expenses — even if you’re remote, the company often needs meeting rooms, a registered address, support staff.
• Marketing — clients don’t just appear out of thin air. Someone has to find, convince, and guide them through the sales process. That costs thousands of dollars each month.
• Management — someone has to negotiate deals, sign contracts, and oversee projects. And yes, those people expect to get paid too.
• Risks — clients can leave, you can quit, currency rates can change. These risks get factored into pricing.

And the cherry on top — profit. Without profit, a business is just a hobby. This means: if the company isn’t making more than it spends, it will go under. That’s just how it works.

You Don’t Have to Be an Employee

Feel like you’re undervalued? Great. Start your own freelance business, find clients, negotiate contracts, handle the legal stuff, and start making that three-times-higher rate yourself. No one’s stopping you.

But once you start doing that, you’ll realize one simple fact: the difference between your salary and the price the client pays is the cost of your peace of mind. It’s the price you pay so you can close your laptop at 6 PM, go have a beer, while someone else worries about rent, contracts, and who to let go if a client bails.

The World Runs on Interest, Not Fairness

Don’t confuse value with cost. Yes, you’re a valuable specialist. But the company prices your work based on the entire chain of creating the product. That’s called entrepreneurship.

Business isn’t a charity. It’s not about equal slices of the pie. It’s about taking on more risk in exchange for a potentially bigger reward. So if you want to make three times more, start by shouldering at least three times more responsibility.

When you complain that the company is selling your work at triple the price, you’re not complaining about injustice — you’re complaining that you’re not the business owner. And that’s a whole different conversation.