Comment by billy99k

Comment by billy99k 4 days ago

Sure, but if Bill Gates was a drug addict with no software, there would have been no deal and he certainly wouldn't have been successful.

Whenever I see the topic of success, people LOVE to talk about 'survivorship bias' as a way to somehow discredit the person that is successful and also give an excuse as to why they might not be successful.

It's pretty destructive in a community that's supposed to be about startups and building businesses. This is why I originally came here years ago, but it seems like the mindset has shifted to anti-capitalist group think.

raw_anon_1111 3 days ago

No one is discrediting his success. It’s just the banal idea of if you have “grit” and work really hard, you are somehow guaranteed success or even have more than a slim chance.

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billy99k 3 days ago

"It’s just the banal idea of if you have “grit” and work really hard, you are somehow guaranteed success"
When has anyone ever said this? I can study for a test and still fail, but not studying ever will guarantee failure.
"Grit" and hard work may not always equal success, but it will improve your odds to the point where success is very possible.

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bear141 3 days ago

What is the other way of going about things? Assuming you will fail and never trying?

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- raw_anon_1111 3 days ago
  
  Find companies that make a lot of money and convince them to give you some of that money in exchange for your labor if you want the best risk/reward ratio.
  I would much rather be in the position of an intern I mentored who at 22 made over $700K in gross income between cash and RSUs (that could easily be converted into cash unlike “equity” in private companies) their first four years out of college than some struggling founded trying to start yet another AI company so grateful they got $200k from YC while still eating beans and rice that they had to split among three founders.
  
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