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by smabie 893 days ago
The hard truth is that Ivy / FAANG talent is usually higher quality. People just don't want to believe it.
3 comments

It carries signal for being above average relative to the rest of the population, which is a low bar to begin with.

It doesn't carry much signal for being great.

This is true, but any signal for future greatness is really weak I think.
I have found that I can take a single look and identify the best engineer and all around smartest guy in a room, often also the funniest, with the caveat that I need a mirror to do it.
I really thought you were a proper wanker until I reached the end of your sentence, well done
I began my career in a startup where pretty much everyone else but myself was an Ivy grad, with many coming from FAANG internships, and I have very high opinions of them. We all were very driven and all had things to teach each other. I don't want to downplay the notion that it's an indicator of high quality talent. I just think that it shouldn't be downplayed that growing up developing software out of an interest in the work is a strong indicator too.
Sounds like you are inflating your own ego...
I never graduated college and have never worked at a FAANG.