Everybody has a product to sell — no matter whether you’re an employee, a founder, or an investor. It’s true even if your company consists of just yo… - Peter Thiel

Look around. If you don’t see any salespeople, you’re the salesperson.

The convergence of desire is even more obvious at the top: all oligarchs have the same taste in Cristal, from Petersburg to Pyongyang.

So why are economists obsessed with competition as an ideal state? It’s a relic of history.

This describes Americans today. In middle school, we’re encouraged to start hoarding “extracurricular activities.” In high school, ambitious students compete even harder to appear omnicompetent. By the time a student gets to college, he’s spent a decade curating a bewilderingly diverse résumé to prepare for a completely unknowable future. Come what may, he’s ready — for nothing in particular.