At every period of history, people have believed things that were just ridiculous, and believed them so strongly that you risked ostracism or even vi… - Paul Graham

why Europe grew so powerful. Was it something about the geography of Europe? Was it that Europeans are somehow racially superior? Was it their religion? The answer (or at least the proximate cause) may be that the Europeans rode on the crest of a powerful new idea: allowing those who made a lot of money to keep it.

Number of users may not be the perfect test, but it will be very close. It’s what acquirers care about. It’s what revenues depend on. It’s what makes competitors unhappy. It’s what impresses reporters, and potential new users.

Math and science education is particularly important for social mobility, because proficiency in these subjects is much harder to fake. A semi-smart rich kid can learn how to sound like he knows a lot about literature, but this is impossible with math.