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> One of the nice things about Silicon Valley, is, you all have worked next to an idiot who has gone off and been successful That sort of under-cuts the merito
by gopalv 10y ago
> One of the nice things about Silicon Valley, is, you all have worked next to an idiot who has gone off and been successful
That sort of under-cuts the meritocracy message by a lot.
I think success is a product of more things than talent, it could be about projected talent as much as what's underneath the hood - confidence as a product of ignorance and narcism is indistinguishable from the real thing, unless tested.
And guess what, some of those people who talk big actually become those people by a mixture of opportunity and hard work - I feel like one of those imposters :)
But asking a lottery winner on picking the best numbers is nearly as useful as picking a loser on how not to pick them - it's what they do after they win a dice roll that matters (invest, avoid going bankrupt etc).
This is not without lessons though - that the failures were made in a consequence-less environment (sic at Nutting & their bankruptcy) and those lessons were carried into aa future success instead of being the opening chapters of a student loan driven panic.
- bduerst 10y agoI think the point you're trying to convey is what the author meant - Ellison, Dolby, and Jobs were not lucky idiots, just that some of their peers saw them that way.
- duaneb 10y agoMeritocracy is a nice goal, but it's certainly not Silicon Valley (or any other place of which I know). The universe has no even playing fields, and it's hard to win friends by contradicting that. Does hard work matter? Of course. Does it determine success? Not as much as it would under a meritocracy.
- ryandrake 10y ago> > One of the nice things about Silicon Valley, is, you all have worked next to an idiot who has gone off and been successful > That sort of under-cuts the meritocracy message by a lot. What meritocracy message? If there is one thing Silicon Valley ISN'T it's meritocratic. Success here is a function of luck, access to capital, personal connections and shameless self-promotion. Nothing meritocratic about that. We HAVE all worked with idiots who have gone off and been successful. It's an encouraging message--if you're an idiot.
- late2part 10y agoSilicon Valley is a hell of a lot more meritocratic than just about any place on earth. I've lived in Europe, Asia, West Coast, Midwest and East Coast. SV is not perfect but it is magical compared to the norms.
- TeMPOraL 10y agoOh there is a strong meritocracy there - those who know how and can make a successful business will make a successful business (barring bad luck). Having an actually useful product that works and makes sense can be helpful in that pursuit, but it's not in any way required - and often it may actually be a waste of time. That is, this "idiot who has gone off and been successful" may not be able to code his ass out of a paperbag if his life depended on it, but he has enough shamelessness to convince customers and investors alike that his $100/piece connected smart paperbags will solve world hunger and their marriage problems.
- dilemma 10y ago> I think success is a product of more things than talent, it could be about projected talent as much as what's underneath the hood - confidence as a product of ignorance and narcism is indistinguishable from the real thing, unless tested. Maybe talent isn't what you think it is.