As someone who did not come from elite networks, I think most people vastly overrate the usefulness of being from that background, to their own detriment, and I think it’s really really important that others from non-elite backgrounds understand it doesn’t matter. You maybe have to take a little more initiative instead of just having it handed to you, but I’m not talking about backbreaking amounts. I’m talking like send a handful of cold emails, show up at a few professional events, that kind of thing. If you have the talent, people will help you use it.
There is some benefit to knowing elite manners more intuitively, and to having the confidence that comes from growing up in those circles, but that’s about it. I had some early career struggles because I had a chip on my shoulder about this stuff, but the moment I stopped being a combative little shit, people started opening doors for me.
As mentioned, there’s a risk someone starts pattern matching this to some “dinner-party” style talks and start jousting about left/right/opportunity/libertarian/woke/privilege, what have you.
What we’re talking about here is the reference class of creating 9-10 figures of wealth.
I think if you look at the actual class of very high net worth tech people, there’s evidence for the view in my parent comment.
Then let’s see it. I’m not pattern-matching to anything. You said a thing that is simply untrue about advantages you believe a person coming from a lower upper class background would have. I am directly challenging your purported method of action based on my own experience of how easy it is to acquire those same advantages. Maybe they have some other advantages you haven’t identified. But if so, let’s see it.
Charles is not saying is that having an elite background is the only thing that matters. He is saying that high success involves both high capability and high situational opportunity.
Sure, but the situational opportunity involved here is mostly being an American alive in the 21st century. If you are the type of person who is capable of starting the next FTX and making $10bn, and you are an American, you can get access to whatever help you need easily enough.
I strongly disagree that the situational opportunity is anywhere near as broad as “mostly being an American alive in the 21st century”. I’m not sure what you have in mind regarding “the type of person who is capable of starting the next FTX”, but I think that is a fairly narrow class, not a very wide one.
It’s a narrow class because the talent is rare, not because situational opportunities are. If you have the talent you can just go get the opportunities.
What advantages do you propose that having Stanford prof parents provides, beyond those already implied by going to MIT?
As someone who did not come from elite networks, I think most people vastly overrate the usefulness of being from that background, to their own detriment, and I think it’s really really important that others from non-elite backgrounds understand it doesn’t matter. You maybe have to take a little more initiative instead of just having it handed to you, but I’m not talking about backbreaking amounts. I’m talking like send a handful of cold emails, show up at a few professional events, that kind of thing. If you have the talent, people will help you use it.
There is some benefit to knowing elite manners more intuitively, and to having the confidence that comes from growing up in those circles, but that’s about it. I had some early career struggles because I had a chip on my shoulder about this stuff, but the moment I stopped being a combative little shit, people started opening doors for me.
No. You’re off topic.
As mentioned, there’s a risk someone starts pattern matching this to some “dinner-party” style talks and start jousting about left/right/opportunity/libertarian/woke/privilege, what have you.
What we’re talking about here is the reference class of creating 9-10 figures of wealth.
I think if you look at the actual class of very high net worth tech people, there’s evidence for the view in my parent comment.
Then let’s see it. I’m not pattern-matching to anything. You said a thing that is simply untrue about advantages you believe a person coming from a lower upper class background would have. I am directly challenging your purported method of action based on my own experience of how easy it is to acquire those same advantages. Maybe they have some other advantages you haven’t identified. But if so, let’s see it.
Charles is not saying is that having an elite background is the only thing that matters. He is saying that high success involves both high capability and high situational opportunity.
Sure, but the situational opportunity involved here is mostly being an American alive in the 21st century. If you are the type of person who is capable of starting the next FTX and making $10bn, and you are an American, you can get access to whatever help you need easily enough.
I strongly disagree that the situational opportunity is anywhere near as broad as “mostly being an American alive in the 21st century”. I’m not sure what you have in mind regarding “the type of person who is capable of starting the next FTX”, but I think that is a fairly narrow class, not a very wide one.
It’s a narrow class because the talent is rare, not because situational opportunities are. If you have the talent you can just go get the opportunities.
What advantages do you propose that having Stanford prof parents provides, beyond those already implied by going to MIT?
Sorry, I don’t have the capacity to engage further here.