In the interview with the Financial Times, the 93-year-old billionaire named human resources executives, government bureaucrats, regulators, socialists, Harvard graduates, MBAs, Harvard MBAs, lawyers, accountants, Joe Biden, the media, and “the woke people” as obstacles to entrepreneurial success in the United States. 

Marcus told the Financial Times that had he and his partner Arthur Blank tried to launch Home Depot today that it would unlikely have been as successful as it is and “we would end up with 15, 16 stores. I don’t know that we could go further.”

Currently, there are over 2,300 warehouse-sized stores across North America with revenue exceeding $150 billion yearly. 

Marcus said that “Capitalism is the basis of Home Depot [and] millions of people have earned this success and had success. I’m talking manufacturers, vendors and distributors and people that work for us [who have been] able to enrich themselves by the journey of Home Depot. That’s the success. That’s why capitalism works.”

However, he says he is “worried about capitalism,” because there are no longer as many incentives to take the risks the two founders took when they first started their venture.

He added that due to the rise of socialism, “nobody works. Nobody gives a damn. ‘Just give it to me. Send me money. I don’t want to work — I’m too lazy, I’m too fat, I’m too stupid.’”

“The woke people have taken over the world. You know, I imagine today they can’t attack me. I’m 93. Who gives a crap about Bernie Marcus?”

Adding, “We used to have free speech here. We don’t have it,”.