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← Success in cultural and professional fields is driven more by chance and path dependence than by talent.
17 connected korrents · 16 moments from 31 Aug 1837 to 30 Sept 2026.
Everything filed under ideas vs execution
ideas vs execution
Everything filed under ambition
ambition
Everything filed under capitalism
capitalism
Everything filed under hiring
hiring
Everything filed under education
education
Everything filed under management
management
Everything filed under immigration
immigration
Everything filed under product management
product management Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Success in cultural and professional fields is driven more by chance and path dependence than by talent. Success in cultural and professional fields is driven more by chance and path dependence than by talent. Last stated 3 months ago
13 Aug 2026
HF
Henry Farrell — holds since 2026-08-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Cultural drift can be managed by letting capitalism run everything and using prediction markets to track a group's adaptive success and progress toward achieving key goals. — tap to centre the map on it Cultural drift can be managed by letting capitalism run everything and using prediction markets to track a group's adaptive success and progress toward achieving key goals. Last stated 2 months ago
18 Sept 2026
RH
Robin Hanson — holds since 2026-09-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Those who rise to the top are generally talented, but because skill is hard to assess, success also depends on career assets that signal skill. — tap to centre the map on it Those who rise to the top are generally talented, but because skill is hard to assess, success also depends on career assets that signal skill. Last stated a month ago
30 Sept 2026
SY
Scott H. Young — holds since 2026-09-30 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Mild success can come from skill and labor; wild success comes from variance — tap to centre the map on it Mild success can come from skill and labor; wild success comes from variance
NT
Nassim Nicholas Taleb — holds since c. 2004 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Academic talent is normally distributed, so some students failing is inevitable rather than anybody's fault. — tap to centre the map on it Academic talent is normally distributed, so some students failing is inevitable rather than anybody's fault. Last stated a year ago
28 Sept 2025
FD
Freddie deBoer — holds since 2025-09-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Hard work drives career success only up to a point, after which its returns diminish. — tap to centre the map on it Hard work drives career success only up to a point, after which its returns diminish. Last stated 5 years ago
19 Apr 2022
GB
Gibson Biddle — holds since 2022-04-19 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company's culture is largely shaped by its profit margins. — tap to centre the map on it A company's culture is largely shaped by its profit margins. Last stated a year ago
11 Jun 2025
JF
Jacob Falkovich — holds since 2025-06-11 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A career path becomes popular when it offers clear, prescribed rules that can simply be decoded and followed. — tap to centre the map on it A career path becomes popular when it offers clear, prescribed rules that can simply be decoded and followed. Last stated 7 months ago
28 Mar 2026
PM
Paul Millerd — holds since 2026-03-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Only 30 to 50 percent of product experiments win, because consumer behaviour is too unpredictable to be predicted from a hypothesis. — tap to centre the map on it Only 30 to 50 percent of product experiments win, because consumer behaviour is too unpredictable to be predicted from a hypothesis. Last stated a year ago
5 Oct 2025
AC
Albert Cheng — holds since 2025-10-05 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A benefit lies in the giver's intention, not in the thing given — tap to centre the map on it A benefit lies in the giver's intention, not in the thing given
SE
Seneca — holds since c. 56–62 CE — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company that has become bored with the mechanics of running a business cannot succeed, regardless of its strategic success. — tap to centre the map on it A company that has become bored with the mechanics of running a business cannot succeed, regardless of its strategic success. Last stated 2 months ago
20 Sept 2026
BC
Bryan Cantrill — holds since 2026-09-20 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A computational discovery platform does not make a biotech fast, because the thousand other steps of drug development are still the bottleneck. — tap to centre the map on it A computational discovery platform does not make a biotech fast, because the thousand other steps of drug development are still the bottleneck. Last stated 2 years ago
17 Sept 2024
AT
Alex Telford — holds since 2024-09-17 — tap for who they are
Same subject: AI-assisted writing creates an illusion of greater creativity while actually reducing the originality of the ideas expressed. — tap to centre the map on it AI-assisted writing creates an illusion of greater creativity while actually reducing the originality of the ideas expressed. Last stated 4 months ago
22 Jun 2026
AG
Adam Grant — holds since 2026-06-22 — tap for who they are
Same subject: As building software gets easier, the differentiator becomes design, ideas, positioning and creativity. — tap to centre the map on it As building software gets easier, the differentiator becomes design, ideas, positioning and creativity. Last stated 3 months ago
4 Aug 2026
NP
Nate Parrott — holds since 2026-08-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Details are the essential substance of human communication, creativity and productivity. — tap to centre the map on it Details are the essential substance of human communication, creativity and productivity. Last stated 3 months ago
22 Jul 2026
TF
Tiago Forte — holds since 2026-07-22 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A pseudonymous teenager from Poland out-designed a trillion-dollar company that has spent forty years and unlimited resources on the same problem. — tap to centre the map on it A pseudonymous teenager from Poland out-designed a trillion-dollar company that has spent forty years and unlimited resources on the same problem. Last stated 3 months ago
26 Jul 2026
DH
David Heinemeier Hansson — holds since 2026-07-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Action is subordinate for a scholar but essential; without it thought cannot ripen into truth — tap to centre the map on it Action is subordinate for a scholar but essential; without it thought cannot ripen into truth Last stated 189 years ago
31 Aug 1837
RE
Ralph Waldo Emerson — holds since 1837-08-31 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Big national problems lack grassroots effort, not good ideas — tap to centre the map on it Big national problems lack grassroots effort, not good ideas Last stated 2 years ago
1 Nov 2024
RP
Robert D. Putnam — holds since 2024-11-01 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Success in cultural and professional fields is driven more by chance and path dependence than by talent.
Holds Read this korrent →
Cultural drift can be managed by letting capitalism run everything and using prediction markets to track a group's adaptive success and progress toward achieving key goals.
Holds
Those who rise to the top are generally talented, but because skill is hard to assess, success also depends on career assets that signal skill.
Holds
Mild success can come from skill and labor; wild success comes from variance
Last stated c. 2004
Holds
Academic talent is normally distributed, so some students failing is inevitable rather than anybody's fault.
Holds
Hard work drives career success only up to a point, after which its returns diminish.
Holds
A company's culture is largely shaped by its profit margins.
Holds
A career path becomes popular when it offers clear, prescribed rules that can simply be decoded and followed.
Holds
Only 30 to 50 percent of product experiments win, because consumer behaviour is too unpredictable to be predicted from a hypothesis.
Holds
A benefit lies in the giver's intention, not in the thing given
Last stated c. 56–62 CE
Holds
A company that has become bored with the mechanics of running a business cannot succeed, regardless of its strategic success.
Holds
A computational discovery platform does not make a biotech fast, because the thousand other steps of drug development are still the bottleneck.
Holds
AI-assisted writing creates an illusion of greater creativity while actually reducing the originality of the ideas expressed.
Holds
As building software gets easier, the differentiator becomes design, ideas, positioning and creativity.
Holds
Details are the essential substance of human communication, creativity and productivity.
Holds
A pseudonymous teenager from Poland out-designed a trillion-dollar company that has spent forty years and unlimited resources on the same problem.
Holds
Action is subordinate for a scholar but essential; without it thought cannot ripen into truth
Holds
Big national problems lack grassroots effort, not good ideas
Holds