He's a really smart guy, but there are lots of really smart guys out there.

He's a really lucky guy, but there are lots of really lucky guys out there.

There aren't many really smart, really lucky guys out there. One of the challenges is when we see really smart, really lucky guys, we tend to think of them as unbelievably smart and kind of lucky. One of the bigger challenges is when they start to see themselves that way.

"The harder I work, the luckier I get" - Samuel Goldwyn

Seems like luck is the ignorant term for ignorance.

Well then, slaves must be really lucky then.

Samuel Goldwyn (1879, 1974) - Died living a lie.

No such thing as luck. I read the article and I wouldn't know what qualifies as outrageously lucky. The NASA deal that came just in time, maybe. But it's not luck to get a contract for launching rockets if you already demonstrated you can do it.

His parents were well-educated and part of the upper-class. This was pure luck and afforded him countless opportunities he wouldn't have otherwise. It's hard to overstate how lucky this was.

He had access to very good schooling in his childhood and free time to pursue his interests (computer programming). This was pure luck and critically important in forming who he is today.

He was able to obtain Canadian citizenship through his mother. This was pure luck and was very important when he emigrated to the US.

These are all incredibly lucky w.r.t the world at large. However, amongst HN readers and the tech community, there are millions of people who are U.S / Canadian citizens, with educated parents, and who know how to program. What were the 'outrageously lucky' factors that separated Musk from these millions?

Eh, talk about average luck http://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/images/pretoria...

"Notable alumni includes two Nobel Prize laureates, 18 Rhodes scholars, eight Supreme Court judges, intellectuals and sportsmen"

His father owned several businesses, mines, etc.

There are two parts to being lucky:

1) What sort of luck comes your way? 2) Are you able to take advantage of the good luck and minimize the effects of bad luck?

If i'd had the exact same lucky breaks as Elon Musk I would not have been as successful, because I'm not as good at step 2 as he is.

I don't know, I just know he's one of the luckiest people on the planet. Even if we accept that there are, say, 100 million people who had the same luck in those three measures, that puts him the top 1.5% of the world's population. And that's all before he becomes an adult.

If you read Outliers you'll see Bill Gates was also "very lucky".

Yeah, to achieve that level of success you definitely need luck, but don't forget that luck has to surprise you while you’re working your arse off...