Select Yourself: Truth from Darwinism & “Billions”
I think there is always something to learn from “Billions”, the archetypal show about Wall Street hedge funds and competition. Yes, it’s dramatized but there are kernels of truth to be found throughout. There is an episode in season 5 where the main character and hedge fund king, Axe goes to bail out his son who crashed the power grid of the private school he was attending. In a speech to the entire school to exonerate him, he goes on a tirade:
“I’m here to give you a little bit about what the school has been holding back from you. The goddamn truth about Darwin, scarcity, and the world you actually live in. It’s not the warm swaddled place your headmaster and parents have told you about. It’s populated by people like me, who will tear you apart.
Nature didn’t select me. I selected myself by harnessing my nature.”
He is being asked to go against his DNA, which is telling each of you to be greedy. Yes, be hungry, subjugate and conquer, because that’s who we are.”
You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWjIL_Thmuk&t=10s
Pretty wild stuff & reminds me of the Wall Street movie Gordon Gekko “Greed is Good” speech. But as I said earlier, there are some deep truths here because there are literally people who do think and act like this. I admit I’m probably one of them. I was harshly schooled in Silicon Valley for over 23+ years, and it is not the sedate place that people try to portray. And that is why it’s a vicious world out there, filled with viciously, competitive people.
I’ve stopped hiding from reality. Reality does bite. It’s good to be idealistic, and it’s always good to treat people fairly and honestly. I always try to find the Win-win. But if the other side does not work the same way, I quickly disengage and avoid them.
But when you are stuck with these vicious people, don’t turn the other cheek, you must fight back. And you fight back hard. If they keep on coming at me or my interests, I will do everything I can to wreck them. You have to be a relentless enemy. This is the only way to operate in this kind of world. In Game theory it’s called the “Tit for Tat” strategy, you start off by trying to cooperate and treat your opponent fairly. If they betray you, you retaliate and hit them back. And it works as shown in most scenarios.
So go out in the world and keep your eyes open. But most importantly know the environment you are competing in, harness your nature and do the hard work to select yourself.