Yeah. Another obvious point of comparison would be Ycombinator (or more specifically early Ycombinator when it took fewer startups with traction and more recent

Yeah. Another obvious point of comparison would be Ycombinator (or more specifically early Ycombinator when it took fewer startups with traction and more recent grads the YC partners really liked even if their ideas weren't fully formed) In comparison to that, Thiel's success rate looks a bit more ordinary. Rhodes scholarships etc on the other hand are a fair bit more successful at generating academics and researchers and mid level managers from backgrounds that don't usually become mid level managers, because that's what they're for