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Does this guy bother anyone else as much as he bothers me?
http://www.railsinside.com/events/285-tim-ferriss-railsconf-...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was just pondering getting his book, but then I read the comments here and reconsidered. Is it worth reading? Obviously you won't get a 4-hour work week, but is there anything of value in it?
Yes. I mean, I think the guy is an arrogant, unethical bastard, but IF you can just get past that and keep an open mind I think he does have a few interesting points on productivity, priorities, questioning what you really want, etc. There's actually a lot of stuff in the book that I agree with, but there's a lot that really irks me, too.
Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too. Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear. First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better. Why would anyone take advice from him beat…
I might also add that a lot of what Paul Graham writes could be classified as "telling smart hackers what they want to hear." After all, the message is: you can get rich and be respected, yes, you; there are few downsides to trying and massive upside, and you need never toil for a big, slow company with a big, slow boss. That's all very much what smart hackers want to hear. But it's also, I think, totally true.
It's wise to be skeptical of advice that conforms to the hopes of its audience. But it's equally wise to be skeptical of advice that doesn't so conform. What people want and what happens to be true don't bear any necessary relationship. If what Tim Ferriss is selling are books full of untrue things, then that's a fair criticism; but it's the only criticism that really makes any sense. And it's not one that I tend to hear. Rather, people react to his attitude, which while understandable, isn't actually an argument.
Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too. Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear. First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better. Why would anyone take advice from him beat…
That being said, "ask for forgiveness, not permission" is great advice. It changes the way you approach problems. Anything that gets you to question the way you think is gold. In that way, the book is awesome.
It is like a Multi-Level Market company, except now with time being sold instead of products. Eventually, you will reach a mass of people doing lots of work, for a low cost, just so that someone can outsource the boring parts of his business and tell the world he did it in 4 hours a week, but the true cost, paid by someone else, isn't.
Which if you think about it, is pretty much how the world works. A base of people powering the few at the top.
The one thing that really really irks me, is that people who I've met, and I'm not talking about Tim, who goes with the 4hww philosophy is that they never truly appreciate the work done by the people at the base. They make all the money, but will tell the producers of the work, hey, I can easily outsource this website design to another Indian programmer for half the cost, so you better lower your price or I won't use you.
The base is dispensable.
Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too. Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear. First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better. Why would anyone take advice from him beat…
I admire Tim as a person. He has done an amazing job making a name for himself. Everything he talks about is ridiculously well-researched. He's not a snakeoil salesman. For example, I have a copy of his book 4 Hour Body.. the thing is 600 pages, mentions no less than 50 doctors with whom he consulted while writing the book and endless citations that support what he says. He has personally helped with some aspects of…
This is an ironic endorsement.
One of his enterprises is called 'Brain-Quicken,' and it's the quintessential snake oil operation.
I have no respect for people with the ability of Tim Ferris when they also have the scruples of Tim Ferris.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I admire Tim as a person. He has done an amazing job making a name for himself. Everything he talks about is ridiculously well-researched. He's not a snakeoil salesman. For example, I have a copy of his book 4 Hour Body.. the thing is 600 pages, mentions no less than 50 doctors with whom he consulted while writing the book and endless citations that support what he says. He has personally helped with some aspects of…
"He's not a snakeoil salesman." This is an ironic endorsement. One of his enterprises is called 'Brain-Quicken,' and it's the quintessential snake oil operation. I have no respect for people with the ability of Tim Ferris when they also have the scruples of Tim Ferris.
Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too. Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear. First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better. Why would anyone take advice from him beat…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The real value in Tim Ferriss' work for me is not usually in the actual content (This blog posts talks about where to register domain names rather than nitty-gritty business details, for example) but rather in observing how well he sells himself and understand what people want. He obviously does a lot of research and testing, and his posts are carefully tailored to sell dreams to large portions of the population. He…
I was just pondering getting his book, but then I read the comments here and reconsidered. Is it worth reading? Obviously you won't get a 4-hour work week, but is there anything of value in it?
Tim Ferriss started by selling people the idea that they could be successful too. Except that his entire career and success is based on telling people what they want to hear. First it was "you can be successful and you don't even need to work hard", more recently he's turned his attention to lifestyle advice such as how to lose weight, how to swim faster, how to look better. Why would anyone take advice from him beat…
I understand the point you're making. However, consider: Logically, "you're telling people what they want to hear" has no relationship to the merits of what's being told. What people want to hear might be false, or it might be true. For example, if I told my mother "your son loves you very much," it's true that I'd be telling her what she wants to hear; I'd also be telling the truth. On the contrary, if I told that t…
Besides, argueing is fun if you're an alpha-geek.
Paul Graham has points I agree with. He has points I disagree with.
Tim Ferris has 3 good points - automate stuff, get into business, and sieze every oppertunity. He also has a big mass of platitudes. The problem is, he makes it sound as if his points are the only ones that matter. There are lots of other important rules that you have to follow in most businesses.