[why-o-why]

it's the same logic lotto uses: "you can't win if you don't play".

while i agree it is irrefutable logic, the chance of being seen is quite small because there are literally millions of other people doing the same thing. gauging probability is what human brains have trouble with.

but it does improve your odds a minuscule amount. but it is always always always better to have friends in high(er) places who can amplify your work. that counts for x1000 more. one mention from someone with 1M followers is worth more than publishing 1000 articles.

[aarondf]

And guess how you make friends in high(er) places...

by...

publishing your work and making friends in your industry

[why-o-why]

I don't know enough about different industries to know if this is true in general. But I do know in tech it is all about networking (aka soft nepotism): spending your career making friends ("swiping right on every work relationship"), and the fraction of those who go on to massively succeed you can then call in favors. At least that's how I made three huge jumps in my 35+ year career, and how the majority of my peers got the big step-functions in pay.

Perhaps in my original post I'm just confusing academia with industry, since I know so few academics.