[dasil003]

This is a common pattern with all good ideas. You start with some hard-won ideas and principles that make a lot of sense. The ideas resonate and so they get picked up by a broader and broader set of people. Before long you have second and third tier advocates who are heavy on the Dunning-Kruger effect and short on actual insight. Now you have tons of straw-men for wannabe thought-leaders to rip apart mercilessly.

I don't blame Eric Ries for staying out of this fray, there's little to be gained by battling the tidal wave diluting the core idea.

[pjlegato]

There should be a name for this pattern, so we can easily refer to it in the future. As you say, it's quite common in business.

The Diluted Insight Effect?

[shanebrunette]

Chinese whispers.