My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
“elon's not dumb but he's a dumbass and there's a big difference”
What It Means
Intelligence and good judgment are separate capabilities - smart people can consistently make terrible decisions
Why It Matters
Helps distinguish between capability problems and judgment problems in leadership assessment
When It's True
When someone has proven technical/intellectual ability but repeatedly makes poor strategic or interpersonal decisions
When It's Risky
May excuse genuinely harmful behavior as just 'poor judgment' rather than addressing underlying character issues
How to Apply
Evaluate leaders separately on intelligence vs decision-making
Apply different solutions for capability vs judgment gaps
Don't assume smart people will naturally make good decisions
Example Scenario
“A brilliant engineer promoted to management who alienates their team through poor communication - they need judgment coaching, not technical training”
Related Knowledge
Dumb vs Dumbass Decision Framework
A framework distinguishing between lack of intelligence (dumb) and poor judgment despite intelligence (dumbass).
Handle public employee termination situations without legal and PR disasters
Employee termination handled with dignity, no legal exposure, minimal negative PR, company reputation protected
Revealed Preference Assessment
Evaluate people's true beliefs and priorities by observing their actions rather than listening to their stated positions
Money continues to increase happiness well beyond basic needs
Wealth accumulation is a rational happiness optimization strategy
anytime a rich person tells you money doesn't make you happy just ask them for their money
People's actions reveal their true beliefs better than their words - if money truly didn't matter, wealthy people would
When rich people claim money doesn't make you happy, they're being hypocritical - if money is truly
Revealed preference theory - people's actions reveal their true beliefs better than their words.