I don't think anecdotes can support or contradict the type of assertion he's making. People frequently point to that rare individual who overcame adversity. It

I don't think anecdotes can support or contradict the type of assertion he's making. People frequently point to that rare individual who overcame adversity. It doesn't really prove anything. The system is big enough that there will be instances to support nearly any belief. I think the opposite of what he's saying might be something like: "It's not who you know, it's what you know." I can only speak for myself but that seems much less true.