The worst thing is that I see myself falling into this trap. I get dismissive of people without the right "pedigree", but then I realize it's the worst form of mental laziness.
I wonder whether truly great companies are different. I think that, just like really great investors (Fred Wilson and Michael Seibel, to name two) have said, "just tell me what you're doing in simple language", implicitly saying "I trust my own judgment" (vs. some elaborate dance of social networking/signaling), I suspect hiring at really top-tier companies doesn't turn as much on pedigree as on some measurable element of skill, or actual work performance.
In any case, the people I admire most in this world are the contrarians who have the conviction to act on their beliefs, like the Big Short guys, or Billy Beane from the A's -- but that kind of thinking isn't career-friendly, AT ALL.
I also think Nassim Taleb has the right idea that "skin in the game is a moral imperative". In all cases where people pass the buck, the problem is that their interests (e.g. their own careers) are insufficiently aligned with those of their principals (the firms' investors). You want to really see what works, look at the guys who are playing with their own money (e.g. hedge funds, proprietary traders, closely-held companies), not the pundits on CNN.
I wonder whether truly great companies are different. I think that, just like really great investors (Fred Wilson and Michael Seibel, to name two) have said, "just tell me what you're doing in simple language", implicitly saying "I trust my own judgment" (vs. some elaborate dance of social networking/signaling), I suspect hiring at really top-tier companies doesn't turn as much on pedigree as on some measurable element of skill, or actual work performance.
In any case, the people I admire most in this world are the contrarians who have the conviction to act on their beliefs, like the Big Short guys, or Billy Beane from the A's -- but that kind of thinking isn't career-friendly, AT ALL.
I also think Nassim Taleb has the right idea that "skin in the game is a moral imperative". In all cases where people pass the buck, the problem is that their interests (e.g. their own careers) are insufficiently aligned with those of their principals (the firms' investors). You want to really see what works, look at the guys who are playing with their own money (e.g. hedge funds, proprietary traders, closely-held companies), not the pundits on CNN.