Today, whenever I hear that someone wants to start a business and build some kind of physical project, my first reaction is that another person is about to lose money.

This mindset is very common, largely shaped by the early success of reform and opening up—where the first to get rich would lead others. In that context, starting a business equals getting rich. Later on, as more and more people start businesses, competition becomes so intense that it turns into cutthroat conflict.
People’s awareness of changes in trends often lags by decades.