Episode 70 · 2021-03-27 · 1:05:59 · Original in Finnish
Business Socialism | Sami Kuusela | Negotiator 70
Originally published as “Bisnessosialismi | Sami Kuusela | Neuvottelija 70”
In this episode Sami Kuusela unpacks the term he coined — business socialism — and where it came from: many entrepreneurs love business but do not find their values on the right. At the heart of the conversation is the tension between the market economy and a strong welfare state, together with Kuusela's claim that it is precisely the safety nets that make Finns free and bold enough to take risk. Kuusela also recounts his own journey from new-media entrepreneur to "hoodie guy" and on to a humbled practitioner of basic business in the role of a clarifier. Sami Miettinen presses his guest on taxation, the subsidiary economy, the shortage of capital and the role of the trade unions, and they close on the municipal election campaign and a bolder Helsinki. Running underneath is the idea that a new word can open a new way of thinking about the relationship between the economy and solidarity.
Watch and listen
Key moments
- 00:00 — Why an entrepreneur finds no home on the right
- 01:17 — Welcome and the episode's subject
- 01:37 — Jussi Heikelä's question about the business-socialism hype
- 02:21 — How the term business socialism was born
- 03:14 — Reframing and the story of the hoodie guy
- 04:01 — The Facebook group and a thousand people talking
- 05:54 — "Cut taxes" thinking does not resonate with everyone
- 06:59 — Anu Partanen and Nordic freedom
- 08:06 — The American worker is a prisoner of the employer
- 09:22 — Ville Tolvanen on the responsibility for investors' money
- 10:18 — The first growth company in 1997
- 11:45 — Burnout and a return to basic business
- 12:49 — The Eva pamphlet and respect for large firms
- 14:41 — The birth of the clarifier business
- 16:39 — Joel Melasniemi and trickle-up economics
- 17:33 — The corona-tax survey and a climate of solidarity
- 20:22 — Charity is no substitute for a strong state
- 21:23 — Finland as a poor and happy subsidiary economy
- 22:44 — Timo Harakka's Supercell socialism
- 23:58 — Ilkka Paananen and taxes gladly paid
- 25:08 — The municipal campaign and a red pitch deck
- 26:39 — Mikko Alasaarela and the role of the unions
- 28:57 — Why the Social Democrats and not another party
- 31:12 — A new kind of union movement for freelancers
- 32:24 — What socialism actually means here
- 35:08 — Fighting social democracy and Sanna Marin
- 36:26 — Role models from Rinne to Mazzucato
- 38:22 — Rehabilitating Väinö Tanner
- 40:04 — The meme world and political social media
- 41:19 — Underhood and data-driven campaigning
- 44:23 — The total tax rate and the comparison with Sweden
- 45:41 — A columnist's career and Finland's Sex and the City
- 49:26 — Business is harder than writing a novel
- 50:43 — Mika Pirneskoski on startup valuation
- 52:48 — Bootstrapping and the shortage of capital in Finland
- 55:09 — The Helsinki council line-up and having influence
- 56:55 — Keeping the channels open after the election too
- 59:15 — Tampere's boldness and Helsinki's investments
- 1:01:31 — Landmarks, Guggenheim and Elielinaukio
- 1:03:43 — Conciliation in an inflamed social media
- 1:04:59 — Criticism of the fist-shakers and the constant griping
- 1:05:32 — Closing and thanks
Summary
In this episode Sami Kuusela unpacks the term he coined — business socialism — and where it came from: many entrepreneurs love business but do not find their values on the right. At the heart of the conversation is the tension between the market economy and a strong welfare state, together with Kuusela’s claim that it is precisely the safety nets that make Finns free and bold enough to take risk. Kuusela also recounts his own journey from new-media entrepreneur to “hoodie guy” and on to a humbled practitioner of basic business in the role of a clarifier. Sami Miettinen presses his guest on taxation, the subsidiary economy, the shortage of capital and the role of the trade unions, and they close on the municipal election campaign and a bolder Helsinki. Running underneath is the idea that a new word can open a new way of thinking about the relationship between the economy and solidarity.
Chapters
- 00:00 — Why an entrepreneur finds no home on the right
- 01:17 — Welcome and the episode’s subject
- 01:37 — Jussi Heikelä’s question about the business-socialism hype
- 02:21 — How the term business socialism was born
- 03:14 — Reframing and the story of the hoodie guy
- 04:01 — The Facebook group and a thousand people talking
- 05:54 — “Cut taxes” thinking does not resonate with everyone
- 06:59 — Anu Partanen and Nordic freedom
- 08:06 — The American worker is a prisoner of the employer
- 09:22 — Ville Tolvanen on the responsibility for investors’ money
- 10:18 — The first growth company in 1997
- 11:45 — Burnout and a return to basic business
- 12:49 — The Eva pamphlet and respect for large firms
- 14:41 — The birth of the clarifier business
- 16:39 — Joel Melasniemi and trickle-up economics
- 17:33 — The corona-tax survey and a climate of solidarity
- 20:22 — Charity is no substitute for a strong state
- 21:23 — Finland as a poor and happy subsidiary economy
- 22:44 — Timo Harakka’s Supercell socialism
- 23:58 — Ilkka Paananen and taxes gladly paid
- 25:08 — The municipal campaign and a red pitch deck
- 26:39 — Mikko Alasaarela and the role of the unions
- 28:57 — Why the Social Democrats and not another party
- 31:12 — A new kind of union movement for freelancers
- 32:24 — What socialism actually means here
- 35:08 — Fighting social democracy and Sanna Marin
- 36:26 — Role models from Rinne to Mazzucato
- 38:22 — Rehabilitating Väinö Tanner
- 40:04 — The meme world and political social media
- 41:19 — Underhood and data-driven campaigning
- 44:23 — The total tax rate and the comparison with Sweden
- 45:41 — A columnist’s career and Finland’s Sex and the City
- 49:26 — Business is harder than writing a novel
- 50:43 — Mika Pirneskoski on startup valuation
- 52:48 — Bootstrapping and the shortage of capital in Finland
- 55:09 — The Helsinki council line-up and having influence
- 56:55 — Keeping the channels open after the election too
- 59:15 — Tampere’s boldness and Helsinki’s investments
- 1:01:31 — Landmarks, Guggenheim and Elielinaukio
- 1:03:43 — Conciliation in an inflamed social media
- 1:04:59 — Criticism of the fist-shakers and the constant griping
- 1:05:32 — Closing and thanks
Watch
The recording lives on the Neuvottelija channel: Bisnessosialismi | Sami Kuusela | Neuvottelija 70. A Finnish edition of this episode is published at www.neuvottelija.fi.
People and topics
Guests: Sami Kuusela