But the problem stands no matter which qualities you think are important. Lin, for instance, was just plain lucky. He was due to be dropped but a spate of injuries gave him an opportunity to shine he hadn't had before. Equally, you can talk about any number of desirable qualities Zuckerberg and Brin had but you can't ignore the fact that they went to accelerators for gifted children rather than a public school in the rough end of town.