"Get Rich Quick" by Edward de Bono - Review by Ian Hislop (1985)

An interesting piece this for a few reasons:

1. Ian Hislop, who wrote this review, later became very well known in the UK as editor of Private Eye magazine, but also a permanent team captain on Have I Got News For You. Fascinating to me that his acidic wit is present even in 1985.

2. Edward de Bono is obviously revered for this books about how to think, but I didn’t know he’d written this, and now I wonder if his other books are as equally shallow and nonsensical - do they too pretend to show something they don’t?

3. The author and reviewer both seem to think that the key to success is either to be born into it or luck (what we’d now call survivorship bias, maybe).

What’s changed? Does anybody think any of the captains of industry from Altman to Zuckerberg, Gates to Musk, Bezos to Thiel, has real, extraordinary talent?

The more I read about success - even this review from a 40 year old book - the more I think talent has less to do with it. Privilege, yes. Hard-won skill? I’m less sure.