> Empirically the answer seems to be that working hard is a necessary if not sufficient condition I think the empirical evidence overwhelmingly indicates that

> Empirically the answer seems to be that working hard is a necessary if not sufficient condition I think the empirical evidence overwhelmingly indicates that connections are way more important than working hard. The majority of rich people got there mostly by knowing the right powerful and well positioned people. Modern tech is anomalous regarding the value of hard work and skill. It also accounts for a small fraction of the wealthy. Carnegie wrote explicitly against hard work and in favor of the value of networks. I'm sure the other robber barons agreed. Read "They Made America" and see page after page of brilliant inventors of the last 200 years who died broke, but whose inventions produced fortunes for other well positioned people.