Shai Lee Schindler’s film, which aired this week on Channel 12, is part of a scheming campaign against the industry responsible for the success of the Israeli economy ● Instead of dealing with the wealth of those who did it with 10 fingers, we should try to bring success to society
This week aired onChannel 12 A film by Shay Lee Schindler, The new rich, Which dealt with the lives of some people who “made a buck” in high-tech, especially after selling the companies they set up. The film provoked, as expected, a lot of reactions – some matter-of-fact, but some emotional, especially around the claim of how “difficult” it is to get used to the new class.
Schindler, TV presenter and fashion designer, married toTo the Agmon destination, A high-tech man, a serial entrepreneur, who has made several exits in his career. The last of which was the sale of the start-up Dynamic yield – A company he founded in 2012 together with Omri MandelevichAnd the two sold it in 2019 toMcDonald’s For $ 300 million.
Through the prism of her husband’s success and their life together, Schindler introduced the camera to their private lives and those of a few others who made exits. The senior of which he is Eyal WaldmanFounder MellanoxWho sold the company toAnvidia About three years ago for $ 6.9 billion. The aim of the film was to bring up a topic related to the image and the feeling that needs to be explained, at least to the method of the creators and participants: why did we get rich, and do we feel comfortable with it? The reviews raised doubts as to whether there was any reason for such a discussion, and quite a few mocking posts were posted on social media following the film’s broadcast – so much so that Schindler responded.
No need to focus on a particular sector
A radical change in a family’s financial situation requires dealing with many challenges, for example in the proper management of family life and the education of children. But it can be a theme for an entire series, without focusing on a particular sector. What’s more, those people who got rich after hard and demanding work, the so-called 10 fingers.
Rich and good (too) for us. Photo: BigStock (illustration)
It should be noted that Schindler did not invent the term “new rich”. It is common on several TV channels, websites and newspapers, which have been running it for a long time – for rating reasons. These present the workers in the high-tech industry in general, and the new rich in particular, as privileges and culprits in a variety of problems that Israeli society faces: social disparity, wage disparities, gender discrimination, ethnic discrimination and more. Also in housing prices in Tel Aviv.
Another contempt for the industry: the shark program
These days, Channel 12 is broadcasting another program that creates, even if not intentionally, contempt for the high-tech industry. The intention is for the program The sharksWhere some famous entrepreneurs, high-tech rich people, sit and consider investments in all kinds of entrepreneurial ideas.
Beyond the nice show there, the program creates the illusion that this is how the high-tech industry works and that this is how money is raised, and that this is the level of entrepreneurship that characterizes the industry. The illusion that Israeli high-tech comes down to a smart bed, sneakers and recipes. Without underestimating the ventures featured in sharks, this is not the case. Moreover, it is very far from reality: Israeli high-tech deals with almost every area of life – from cyber to automotive, from fintech (finance) to computer games, and more and more.
Ephraim Kishon wrote the book “Sorry We Won” after the Six Day War. If the fake shaming campaign for the high-tech industry, of which Schindler’s film is a part, continues, soon any entrepreneur who makes an exit will go with a shirt that reads: “Sorry I succeeded”
If we go back to Schindler’s film, in the eyes of Rainbow broadcasts – The company that runs Channel 12 – was justified in broadcasting the film, assuming it would bring ratings and production buzz – and so it did. It’s the business of this channel, he lives off of it. But a broadcaster, and in particular the one whose ratings are usually the highest, should also have some public responsibility. The smear campaign against high-tech and anyone connected to it in any way harms not only those people who make a living in the industry and have made their fortune in legitimate ways, but also the Israeli economy and society as a whole. High-tech is responsible for 45% of all Israeli exports and supports a huge ecosystem, with other sectors in the economy: the real estate industry, the food industry and restaurants, and more.
The discourse should be not about the new rich in high-tech, but around the new rich in general, and about reducing disparities and raising the standard of living of workers in other sectors. That is, not how to limit wages in high-tech, because others earn less, but how to increase wages for others. This can be done, and should be done, along with increasing productivity, more training and more investment in human capital – which will also help reduce the severe and chronic shortage of workers in the industry.
The solution – not just for high-tech leaders
It should be admitted that the leaders of the high-tech industry still have something to do to help deal with Israel’s social challenges, but we should not make the public understand that the solution to this problem lies only with them. It is also found in government institutions, which need to invest in infrastructure for high-tech employment, technology education and more.
On the other hand, in general, there are among the rich and entrepreneurs who complain about the public interest, not to mention voyeurism, in their lives. Do not let them complain about it. Among the many reviews of Schindler’s film, I found a scathing review, published by the entrepreneur Zohar Lewkowicz, Who wrote: “I also made an exit, but I did not want to tell the guys.” The film is all about “telling the guys,” and whoever does, should not be surprised that he and his life are peeked at.
Bottom line: The genius creator Ephraim Kishon Wrote the book after the Six Day War Sorry we won. If the fake shaming campaign for the high-tech industry, of which Schindler’s film is a part, continues, soon any entrepreneur who makes an exit will go with a shirt that will read: “Sorry I succeeded.” We really should not get there.
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