Why Generalists Epstein Is Right About Range: Why Generalists Win in the Age of AI (Or Why Alex Karp Is Wrong)

Alex Karp says specialize early. Skip college. Go deep, not broad. But here's the irony: Karp himself took the most generalist path imaginable—liberal arts, law school, philosophy PhD, money management, then tech CEO. David Epstein's "Range" reveals why the advice successful polymaths give rarely matches the path they actually took. In complex, unpredictable environments (which describes most of modern work), generalists consistently outperform early specialists. The evidence is compelling, the implications are profound, and the permission it offers—to explore, to pivot, to be a late bloomer—might be exactly what you need to hear.