The 10,000-Hour Rule
How many hours of practice does it take to achieve mastery?
10,000 hours
What do Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have in common in their early lives?
Both got rare early access to advanced technology and mentorship
What key factor allowed some people to get 10,000 hours while others didn’t?
Access to time, resources, and supportive environments
According to Gladwell, what does practice do: make you good, or come after you’re good?
It’s what makes you good
Who created the 10,000 hour rule?
K. Anders Ericsson
Who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates?
Paul Allen
What company did Bill Joy help found after leaving Berkeley?
Sun Microsystems
About how many hours did amateur pianists practice by age 20?
2,000
Why did older engineers and workers in 1975 not join the computer revolution?
They already had stable jobs and families, so they couldn’t take the risk.
What company did Steve Ballmer eventually run as CEO?
Microsoft
What does Gladwell say many successful computer pioneers shared besides intelligence and hard work?
They were born at the right time to catch the tech revolution
What does Daniel Levitin call the “magic number” for mastery?
10,000
According to Gladwell, what was the perfect age to be in 1975 to join the computer revolution?
About 20 or 21 years old
What did Steve Jobs do as a teenager that helped him learn about electronics?
He attended HP science talks and called Bill Hewlett for spare parts
What common pattern does Gladwell notice among tech pioneers’ birth years?
Many were born between 1953 and 1956
hat does Gladwell suggest is more important than natural talent for success?
Hard work and opportunity to practice
What idea does Gladwell use this birth pattern to prove about success?
Success depends on opportunity and timing, not just talent or hard work.
How does Gladwell compare Steve Jobs getting spare parts from Bill Hewlett to Bill Gates’s early experience?
Both were rare, lucky opportunities that gave them early access to technology
How does Gladwell describe the idea that success is only about talent?
A myth
What does Ericsson’s study suggest about “naturals” and “grinds”?
They don’t exist