Malcolm Gladwell obviously does much more than just applying this formula. First of all, he applies it well. And we know here that ideas are nothing, execution

Malcolm Gladwell obviously does much more than just applying this formula. First of all, he applies it well. And we know here that ideas are nothing, execution is everything. He also plays and looks the part of a sophisticated modern intellectual, publishes in the New Yorker, gives inspiring speeches, even if they're just excerpts from his books. None of that means that his works don't follow a predictable pattern. And none of his achievements should stop anyone from poking fun at that.