As a child, this was a typical ad hominem response someone would say when they didn’t have a meaningful reply. It was never intended to be anything other than a face-saving mechanism to stop the argument/debate.

I recently read an article that made me think about the underlying fallacy of the statement. The assumption is that you have to be smart to be rich.

I Trusted a Billionaire, and He Destroyed My Company: Why was I so blinded by his money?

By: Aaron Dinin, PhD on Aug. 29, 2022 in Medium

As I read the article, I realized I had made the same mistake, though not with billionaires, many times before. The word “blinded” struck a chord with me.

• Continue my writing with:
  • Why did I not trust my instinct?
  • Did their past accomplishments blind me?
  • Was I blinded by the money they had?
    • Did I think they were going to give me some of it? Laziness.
  • How could I not see past the money to determine if their advice was valid?
  • What would I do if I could go back in time and “do-over”?
  • Some examples.

The closing paragraph of the article gives some essential advice:

When you’re deciding whose startup advice to follow, don’t focus on how much money the person has made. Focus, instead, on what that person has learned and, just as importantly, how recently the person learned it. Remember that, when evaluating someone’s advice, relevance to you and what you’re trying to accomplish is more valuable than a person’s accomplishments.