Recode Decode: David Epstein

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2020

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Journalist and bestselling author David Epstein talks with Recode's Kara Swisher about his most recent book, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. In it, he argues that the world’s most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists are more likely to be dabblers, rather than people who set out to do what they do best from a young age — and, in fact, the people who have highly specialized training from an early age tend to have lower lifetime earnings overall. He explains how the wrong mentality took hold, how its effects ripple into the professional world, and the challenges facing teachers and parents trying to set young people on the right track early. Plus: How to shift into the right mindset to become a successful generalist, and why you don't have to do that while you're in your 20s. Featuring: David Epstein (@DavidEpstein), author, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World Host: Kara Swisher (@karaswisher), Recode co-founder and editor-at-large More to explore: Subscribe for free to Reset, Recode's new podcast that explores why — and how — tech is changing everything. About Recode by Vox: Recode by Vox helps you understand how tech is changing the world — and changing us. Follow Us: Newsletter: Recode Daily Twitter: @Recode and @voxdotcom Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today's episode is brought to you by Into the Mix, a Ben and Jerry's podcast about joy and justice produced with Fox Creative.
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1:04.0	To learn more, visit Unisys.com. That's UNISYS.COM. Unisys. Keep breaking through.
1:14.0	Hi, I'm Cara Swisher, Editor-at-large of Recode. You may know me as a specialist in telling arrogant CEOs in tech that they're not really that special.
1:23.0	But in my spare time, I'm just a reporter and are listening to Recode Decode, a podcast about power change and the people you need to know around the tech and media industries were part of the Fox Media Podcast Network.
1:33.0	Today in the Red Chair is David Ebstine, a journalist whose work has appeared in outlets like Sports Illustrated and Pro Publica.
1:40.0	But he's probably best known for his 2014 book, The Sports Gene, and his most recent book, Ranged, Why Generalist Triumph in a Specialized World.
1:49.0	In it, he examines the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters, and scientists, and upends the conventional wisdom about why they're so successful.
1:58.0	A perfect book for Silicon Valley people. You should read it. David, welcome to Recode Decode.
2:03.0	Thank you for having me.
2:04.0	So we were just talking before this about what these ideas are. We're going to get to Silicon Valley people.
2:09.0	But talk about how you decided to do this book. Talk about the Sports Gene and how you move through that to this.
2:15.0	It a little bit came out of the Sports Gene in a way. So in part of the Sports Gene, I criticized the work underlying the so-called 10,000-hour rule.
2:23.0	All right, explain what that is.
2:24.0	Okay, 10,000-hour rule is this idea that there is essentially no such thing as talent. And what looks like talent is just the manifestation of 10,000 hours.
2:31.0	Trying real hard. Right, of what's called deliberate practice. Like not playing around very cognitively engaged, effortful practice.
	...

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