Since 118 people have now viewed this topic, and no one has offered any relevant Rand evidence, I will go further and say that I would guess Rand paid her own employees the going rate, no more no less, and when she was offered free labour she took it. The value to those who worked for her would have been immeasurably greater to them than to her. I'd love to know what she actually paid or did not pay to secretaries, assistants, researchers etc. Her signature statement was the dollar sign which John Galt traced in the dirt.That is, the air. Making it not "filthy lucre" anymore.