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This isn't only a problem with technology: https://ofdollarsanddata.com/why-winners-keep-winning-4e7f221f5b84 https://ofdollarsanddata.com/why-winners-keep-winn
by ForHackernews 8y ago
This isn't only a problem with technology: https://ofdollarsanddata.com/why-winners-keep-winning-4e7f221f5b84 https://ofdollarsanddata.com/why-winners-keep-winning-4e7f22...
> Both King and Rowling’s foray into undercover writing reveals a harsh truth about success and social status — winners keep winning. This idea is formally known as cumulative advantage, or the Matthew effect, and explains how those who start with an advantage relative to others can retain that advantage over long periods of time. This effect has also been shown to describe how music gets popular, but applies to any domain that can result in fame or social status. I discovered this concept by reading Michael Mauboussin’s The Success Equation where he writes:
>> The Matthew effect explains how two people can start in nearly the same place and end up worlds apart. In these kinds of systems, initial conditions matter. And as time goes on, they matter more and more.