What he says about escalating fame and using less reliable sources as social proof to get covered by more reliable sources does seem to play out in the world.

What he says about escalating fame and using less reliable sources as social proof to get covered by more reliable sources does seem to play out in the world. There are all sorts of "awards" ceremonies for things like best employer, best company in IT, etc. but frequently to get into such awards you have to pay money (surprise surprise) and the entrants get to nominate themselves. Then when they win, they take the story to the local and trade press, and on and on it goes.