[iamasoftwaredev]

> I missed the memo on when meritocracy became a bad word

When people realized that the guy who starts with a billion dollar dad and a buy in to harvard is being graded on the same scale as the guy who started in a trailer park with a single mom and community college.

You can't have a meritocracy without the same starting point, and you can't have that in real life.

[leetcrew]

computers don't care whether you grew up in a trailer. the concept of meritocracy doesn't require that everyone has an even start (whatever that looks like). it just requires that people are selected for positions based on who is most likely to do a good job. it's unfair, but the silver spoon kid who graduated from Harvard with a 4.0 is usually a better bet than the kid who dropped out after the eighth grade.

edit: I actually doubt the son of the billionaire gets graded on the same scale as the trailer park kid. my guess is it's pretty hard to fail a course taught in a building named after your dad, but maybe that's overly conspiratorial.