4 ms·

I wonder if he just doesn't have a good enough grasp of the English language to articulate his ideas well enough. I would go as far to say that no self-made bil

I wonder if he just doesn't have a good enough grasp of the English language to articulate his ideas well enough. I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid.

arcticbull 6y ago
> I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid. Making money is far more about luck than skill. Always has been. Net worth is not a proxy for ability. [edit] Don't get me wrong I'm not saying billionaires are idiots. I'm just saying that having a fat stack is not in and of itself a proxy for aptitude. Judge that on the person instead. Just judging them on their bank balance is an unnecessary appeal to authority that hasn't historically held.
- manigandham 6y ago
  That may be the case for millionaires in the right place at the right time but not for the self-made billionaires.
- Pungsnigel 6y ago
  I'd say normally it requires both, or extreme levels of either. Not sure normal rules apply under CCP though.
  - dlkf 6y ago
    I'll raise you to extreme levels of both.
  - cambalache 6y ago
    Not necessarily.You need to be smart, but not in the sense HN thinks.A charismatic, charming person can become quite wealthy if luck and connections help and still be very dumb by conventional standards. People like Kim Kardashian.
- WanderPanda 6y ago
  I would still argue net worth is a unbiased (if you discount for corruption) proxy for ability (in the sense of ability to create wealth = products and services that people demand). It is extremely high variance though
  - seniorivn 6y ago
    your discount is everything if corruption is the most important part of the equation
AJRF 6y ago
His grasp of English is pretty decent, he was a lecturer at Hangzhou Dianzi University in English and International trade.
- TaylorAlexander 6y ago
  Yep. As the article simply puts it, he was an English teacher.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- Vinnl 6y ago
  Just looked at a bit of the linked video, and his English sounded fine, but at about, or even slightly below, my level. And I have no problems following English or making myself understood, but I will still never be able to express myself as clearly and as articulate as I am able to do in my native language. This is especially true when speaking.
throwaway29303 6y ago
From the article: Ma, a former English teacher, is one of China’s internet pioneers, building an e-commerce empire with Alibaba and a fintech giant with Ant.
onetimemanytime 6y ago
>>I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid. Stupid is a loaded word, but you can be a genius in chemistry and not be able to hold a "normal" conversation. You can also be homeless and super-smart.
franklampard 6y ago
He would say exactly the same stuff in Chinese. He is just arrogant and abusive.

I wonder if he just doesn't have a good enough grasp of the English language to articulate his ideas well enough. I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid.

arcticbull 6y ago

> I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid. Making money is far more about luck than skill. Always has been. Net worth is not a proxy for ability. [edit] Don't get me wrong I'm not saying billionaires are idiots. I'm just saying that having a fat stack is not in and of itself a proxy for aptitude. Judge that on the person instead. Just judging them on their bank balance is an unnecessary appeal to authority that hasn't historically held.

manigandham 6y ago
That may be the case for millionaires in the right place at the right time but not for the self-made billionaires.
Pungsnigel 6y ago
I'd say normally it requires both, or extreme levels of either. Not sure normal rules apply under CCP though.
- dlkf 6y ago
  I'll raise you to extreme levels of both.
- cambalache 6y ago
  Not necessarily.You need to be smart, but not in the sense HN thinks.A charismatic, charming person can become quite wealthy if luck and connections help and still be very dumb by conventional standards. People like Kim Kardashian.
WanderPanda 6y ago
I would still argue net worth is a unbiased (if you discount for corruption) proxy for ability (in the sense of ability to create wealth = products and services that people demand). It is extremely high variance though
- seniorivn 6y ago
  your discount is everything if corruption is the most important part of the equation

AJRF 6y ago

His grasp of English is pretty decent, he was a lecturer at Hangzhou Dianzi University in English and International trade.

TaylorAlexander 6y ago
Yep. As the article simply puts it, he was an English teacher.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
Vinnl 6y ago
Just looked at a bit of the linked video, and his English sounded fine, but at about, or even slightly below, my level. And I have no problems following English or making myself understood, but I will still never be able to express myself as clearly and as articulate as I am able to do in my native language. This is especially true when speaking.

throwaway29303 6y ago

From the article: Ma, a former English teacher, is one of China’s internet pioneers, building an e-commerce empire with Alibaba and a fintech giant with Ant.

onetimemanytime 6y ago

>>I would go as far to say that no self-made billionaire is stupid. Stupid is a loaded word, but you can be a genius in chemistry and not be able to hold a "normal" conversation. You can also be homeless and super-smart.

franklampard 6y ago

He would say exactly the same stuff in Chinese. He is just arrogant and abusive.