Why Being Delusional is a Superpower

Veritasium · 15.2M views · 2020-08-28 · 12:04

Open on YouTube ↗

If playback is restricted in your region, try opening the original video. Use Mark watched to add it to your marked videos.

Overview

Veritasium examines the role of luck in success, with simulations and examples showing how small advantages and chance can compound. It argues that top outcomes are disproportionately luck-driven while still crediting effort.

On Hacker News

Linked in threads about meritocracy, careers and startups as a reminder that luck shapes who ends up on top.

Recommended by 9 HN people across 9 months · HN mentions 2020–2024

Topics

Psychology & human behavior Probability & game theory Scientific method & science communication

What people said

travisgriggs · 2021-11 · Strong recommendation
I love Veritasium. Derek has done a number of videos that are awesome like this. The videos are great and educational, but he also manages to subtly weave in an almost spiritual subtext to them as well. For example, in this one, you learn about imaginary numbers in some cool ways, history, how awesome e^ix is, etc, but also this yen-yang balance between embracing not only what is real but taking a chance on what is imaginary. Some of my other favorites: - [LINK] - [LINK] - [LINK] - [VIDEO] - [LINK] I think he’s going to lose the $10,000 bet on the car though.
Read the original HN comment ↗

cgrealy · 2021-08 · Strong recommendation
Absolutely. His "gravity is not a force" video led me through a whole range of emotions from "this is ridiculous" to "actually..." to "holy crap, I've been wrong about this my entire life". In terms of sheer brain-breaking... this is my favourite: [LINK] But this is the one I think people on HN need to watch most [VIDEO]
Read the original HN comment ↗

O_H_E · 2021-03 · Strong recommendation
Semi tangent: I would really recommend watching "Is Success Luck or Hard Work?" By Veritasium [VIDEO]
Read the original HN comment ↗

Sources

Video by Veritasium, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

Data and selection notes

HN summaries and labels may contain AI errors. HN dates refer to discussions, not video publication.

HN Library: HackerTube export (2026-10-31) and open-index/hacker-news. Upstream summaries and classifications may contain AI errors.

Views, duration and playback status refresh separately from the published catalog. When an update fails, existing data remains visible.

Selection checks

SaaS & AI candidates: Topic keywords do not match
Editor-approved picks: Editorial review is required

Rule matches identify candidates. They do not guarantee video quality or financial results.

About the library and its sources