3 ms·

At the root, Ponzi schemes stem from dishonesty, an unwillingness to tell people that your vision did not align with consensus reality. It is a manifestation of

• nickff 6y ago
  >This is why everyone who is smart about raising money for ventures underpromises and overdelivers. The opposite, overpromising and underdelivering, is a road to hell. The vast majority of startups fail! From a financial point of view, most startups look a lot like Ponzi schemes; the difference is that startup investors know it's risky.
  • edoceo 6y ago
    And if you're doing it right you're telling them the whole time about how the ship is sinking. The Ponzi don't have that
• tortasaur 6y ago
  Impostor syndrome is when you see yourself as an impostor but are actually competent, not vice versa.
  • jrumbut 6y ago
    You overpromise when you fear that what you can actually deliver is inadequate. Obviously imposter syndrome doesn't lead inevitably to ponzi schemes, but it's a possible maladaptive response to those feelings. Bernie Madoff was probably competent enough to be successful at a high level, I have no idea why he actually went off the rails but I can see how imposter syndrome could lead someone in that direction.