You say "even" but for all his genius (gravitation, discrete calculus) Newton was a bit of a crank: 1. Drinking mercury in pursuit of eternal life 2. Predicti

You say "even" but for all his genius (gravitation, discrete calculus) Newton was a bit of a crank: 1. Drinking mercury in pursuit of eternal life 2. Predicting the apocalypse in 2060 (yet to be disproven) 3. Superstition around the number 7 4. Attempted alchemy This is not to say he was more or less superstitious than others. Just that extensive expertise in one or even many domains does not translate into expertise in all domains. I think you are onto something with the allure of quick wealth. The decision makers at SVB and Credit Suisse were paid to be prudent.