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> I'm not sure why I feel this way. I feel very strongly that people can reinvent themselves. I'd turn it the other way around. These inspirational stories ten

> I'm not sure why I feel this way. I feel very strongly that people can reinvent themselves. I'd turn it the other way around. These inspirational stories tend to be extremely biased towards young, no-career, highly-driven, high-hope types who had a hail Mary shot that they took and paid off in someway or another. It also doesn't help that most of these success stories are self-promotion pieces that overblow the success angle even when it's a miserable easily avoidable failure. In that sense, it's a breath of fresh air to see a success story that focuses on someone who went for a masters, followed by a PhD, followed by a long career in a growing sector climbing the corporate ladder up to the very top, followed by leading multiple companies, and finally creating the company that disrupts a market. We already have too many stories on random clueless individuals hitting the jackpot due to sheer luck in a once in a lifetime shot, and there is absolutely no value in life lessons that boil down to "do like me, and buy the winning lottery ticket."

nikanj 3y ago
I much prefer this to the typical path of the celebrated founder: 1) Be young 2) Go to Stanford / MIT / Harvard 3) Drop out after freshman autumn 4) Get ludicrous funding via family connections 5) Crash & burn because you're about as knowledgeable as one would expect a kid fresh out of high school to be
- MichaelZuo 3y ago
  You need to meet more early 20s high achievers then. The smartest and wisest in a cohort of several million could easily be on par with a moderately above average 45 year old. Sure it’s unusual for folks to bet on a moderately average 45 year old, but not that unusual. I would say that it’s mostly earned. Of course there are those, not as capable, taking loans from rich relatives, but I doubt they make up the majority of cases.
  - sandspar 3y ago
    Statistically, the smartest person in a cohort of five million has an IQ of roughly 180. Above-average 45 year olds are not competing with 20 year olds with IQ's of 180. They may cooperate, but they tend to work in different problem spaces, much like how a streetball player isn't in direct competition with LeBron James even though they're both basketball players.
    - MichaelZuo 3y ago
      IQ as commonly indicated includes an age adjustment, so in this case their IQs would be similar before adjustment. They would be cooperating with each other usually, not competing.

nikanj 3y ago

I much prefer this to the typical path of the celebrated founder: 1) Be young 2) Go to Stanford / MIT / Harvard 3) Drop out after freshman autumn 4) Get ludicrous funding via family connections 5) Crash & burn because you're about as knowledgeable as one would expect a kid fresh out of high school to be

MichaelZuo 3y ago
You need to meet more early 20s high achievers then. The smartest and wisest in a cohort of several million could easily be on par with a moderately above average 45 year old. Sure it’s unusual for folks to bet on a moderately average 45 year old, but not that unusual. I would say that it’s mostly earned. Of course there are those, not as capable, taking loans from rich relatives, but I doubt they make up the majority of cases.
- sandspar 3y ago
  Statistically, the smartest person in a cohort of five million has an IQ of roughly 180. Above-average 45 year olds are not competing with 20 year olds with IQ's of 180. They may cooperate, but they tend to work in different problem spaces, much like how a streetball player isn't in direct competition with LeBron James even though they're both basketball players.
  - MichaelZuo 3y ago
    IQ as commonly indicated includes an age adjustment, so in this case their IQs would be similar before adjustment. They would be cooperating with each other usually, not competing.