Part 1: “The rich expand into new frontiers.”

Rich people, corporations, empires—whatever—do seek growth through new markets, technologies, industries, etc. This is literally how capitalism scales. Colonization? That was Europe doing frontier expansion with boats and arrogance. Big Tech? That was the new digital gold rush. So yes, the rich tend to move into untapped markets like:

• Real estate in developing countries

• Tech sectors (hello, AI and biotech)

• Private space travel, because Earth is too crowded with peasants, I guess

Part 2: “Then they take the middle class’s stuff.”

Is there wealth extraction? Yes.

When markets saturate, rich people (and companies) look for new revenue sources, and sometimes that means financializing existing stuff:

• Buying up single-family homes to rent them back to you.

• Privatizing public services (water, health care, education).

• Turning “subscriptions” into a lifestyle.

• Lobbying for tax laws that make sure they keep their piles while yours shrink.

This has real consequences—like increased inequality and the hollowing out of the middle class. 

Part 3:

In capitalist and imperial systems, when avenues for economic expansion become constrained—whether through the exhaustion of colonial frontiers, slowed domestic growth, or saturated markets—rival powers may increasingly turn to aggressive strategies, including territorial conquest or geopolitical conflict, as alternative paths to securing resources, influence, and economic advantage.