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Tech is a field where skill is self-evident and verifiable to a much greater extent than most traditional business. And while it's not a universal rule, I have

Tech is a field where skill is self-evident and verifiable to a much greater extent than most traditional business. And while it's not a universal rule, I have found that people at the top of the top of their respective tech/nontech industries, tend to not put any effort into how they dress unless they have to impress a client etc. I've adopted a heuristic of looking for the worst dressed guy to identify the decision maker when meeting new client groups in my line of work. If the way one dresses, or the cost of one's watch, or the firmness of one's handshake is the best signal they have to communicate their stature to a group, it's because they don't have anything more tangible.

criddell 7y ago
> If the way one dresses, or the cost of one's watch, or the firmness of one's handshake is the best signal they have to communicate their stature to a group, it's because they don't have anything more tangible. What other ways are there to communicate stature to a group? For one-on-one interactions there are lots of ways, but when you walk into a room, appearance is about all you have.
- perl4ever 7y ago
  Without getting into specifics which may be debatable, "trying too hard" always counters other means of communicating stature. I can't help thinking of the recent news articles about Patagonia reacting to the popularity of its fleece vests: https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-investors-love-fleece-vests-2016-10 https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-investors-lov... "I think one reason for the popularity is: Patagonia represents quality without being pretentious" ...so all the rich people wear the same thing in order to not look like rich people, but now it's a stereotype.