The winner-take-all society
by Robert H Frank · first published 1996
6mentions
4recommended by
6HN commenters
2010–2024first – last mentioned
67% recommend33% neutral
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…that lineup to be spaghetti, the better their chances unless the "price" of spaghetti goes up. Pls read this book or the comments at least to understand the effects of this, http://www.amazon.com/The-Winner-Take-All-Society-Much-More/... . At this point we are all trampling over each other to be the one that takes all and this has tipped the balance in the VC's favor until we have a shakeout, the hype dies down and entrepreneurs…
on “Twitter Files For IPO” ↗…founder of Nolo book) The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer) Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely. The Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all. Gun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.
on “Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?” ↗…one: this is the essence of 'hypercompetition', and it's bound up with our winner-take-all system / superstar effect. Anyone who hasn't read "Twilight of the Elites" and "Average is Over" should do so. Winner-take-all society: http://prospect.org/article/talent-and-winner-take-all-socie... The superstar effect: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/business/26excerpt.html?_r... Non-stop retraining: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/business/to-stay-relevant-...…
on “Kindergarten Has Become the New First Grade” ↗…not pushing a particular narrative to justify dismantling of family unit. Where did you find an attack on the family unit in the article? Upon reading this article I started reading his 1996 book The Winner-Take-All Society . The book is quite prescient in that the professions with similar top heavy compensation structures have multiplied since. He is well aware of fallings of state run economy.
on “Don’t Tell Your Friends They’re Lucky” ↗I think a more insightful analysis than (the insufferable) Taleb's one is the "Winner takes it all" one: > In our 1995 book, The Winner-Take-All Society, Philip Cook and I [=Herbert Frank] argued that top salaries have been growing sharply in virtually every labor market because of two factors – technological forces that greatly amplify small increments…
on “Did I just waste 3 years?” ↗Absolutely. I read about this "conundrum" that a CEO doesn't work 1000 times more than a regular employee, so why should he get paid that much, in the book "The Winner- Take-All Society" by Frank and Cook. At the time the argument sounded reasonable. But it's not. A CEO doesn't work 1000 times harder, but his work is for sure 1000 times more impactful that the work of a regular employee.…
on “Microsoft CEO's pay rises 63% to $79M, despite devastating year for layoffs” ↗