Why Who You Know Still Matters | Toby Stuart

Are status and “who you know” still the ultimate keys to success? In this week’s conversation, we dive into the hidden forces that shape our lives: status and anointment, with Professor Toby Stuart of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and author of Anointed: How Status Shapes Our Lives. Toby explains how status emerges through merit, recognition from others, and characteristics we’re born with—and how it influences careers, relationships, and even the way we experience art and music.

And what about AI? As artificial intelligence reshapes how work and achievements are evaluated, traditional markers of merit are becoming harder to identify. If everyone has a perfect resume thanks to AI, how do we distinguish one individual from another? Does status, as a result, become even more important? Is this shift pushing society to lean more heavily on status and pedigree as decision-making shortcuts—and, if so, what does that mean for fairness and the future of evaluation?

We also explore the compounding effects of status—the Matthew Effect—and how small advantages can snowball into lifelong disparities. Tune in for another thought-provoking conversation with a fascinating guest and challenge yourself to rethink how status operates in your own life, while considering the opportunities ahead as technology continues to blur the line between human and machine achievement.

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