Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism

[Mister Agenda]

The wolves abuse the social contract: without the sheep, there would be nothing for the wolves to feed on, without the working joe, there would be nobody to sweat on behalf of the ambitious.

Her idea is flawed, I think, in that she sees life as a zero-sum game: if I give you something, I will have less.  But this isn't true: I will have support when my luck goes sour, because I've invested in friendships.  I'll have the support of my community, because I'm a member in good standing.  I'll also have a greater joy-- because I am PART of something bigger than myself, and well-adjusted people have a desire to contribute to a greater good.  Also, even in economic terms-- the selfish accumulation of wealth is leading to economic slowdown and a net loss for the American economy; so her views are short-sighted in that sense.

Now, if it is in your nature to be as she describes, then you may accumulate wealth and achieve your dreams.  But whether standing by while your peers suffer is anything less than being a dick, that's up to you to decide.

She didn't regard the 'working joes' as sheep, but as the backbone of society. In Atlas Shrugged, they are part of the revolution.

She didn't see life as zero-sum, she saw 'unfettering the producers' as a way to make 'the pie' bigger, which would benefit everyone willing to work. I'm pretty sure she didn't advocate not having any friends, nor did she advocate the accumulation of wealth as an end in itself. Our economy is not based on Randian economics, and she would be appalled at the rent-seeking behavior of many large corporations. She was a Goldwater gal, not a Trumpian.

In your last paragraph you capture her true failure: she didn't fully understand our impulse to help others even if it gains us nothing.

Of course, where she was an ethical egoist, I'm a psychological egoist: people do good because of what they get out of it, and that's fine.