Imagine it:
You’re an informatics expert, and a paper comes across your desk.
Title:
Rooter: A Methodology for the Typical Unification of Access Points and Redundancy - Jeremy Stribling, Daniel Aguayo and Maxwell Krohn
The abstract begins:
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Many physicists would agree that, had it not been for congestion control, theevaluation of web browsers might never have occurred. In fact, few hackers worldwide would disagree with the essential unification of voice-over-IP and public-private key pair. In order to solve this riddle, we confirm that SMPs can be made stochastic, cacheable, and interposable.
==============
You’re impressed by the big words.
Confused, BUT impressed.
Because if you - an expert in your field - don’t understand it, it must’ve been written by a genius.
Well, as it turns out…
😵💫 The paper was absolute nonsense
It was generated by software three MIT students created to write BS papers stuffed with jargon and fake graphs.
(They even got invited to present at a prestigious conference before revealing the truth!)
The point?
Even experts fall for BS. And in YOUR career? Spotting it matters more than you think.
🧭 Your BS meter = your career's best friend
Put bluntly:
Your ability to detect BS (& deal with it smoothly) is a pretty big indicator of what you'll get out of your career.
Take money, for example. Ever heard these?
- 😈 "If you just do this extra work until the other position is filled, you'll be rewarded later."
- 😈 "Your compensation is above average for your position."
- 😈 "We just don't have the money for a raise right now..."
But, here's how the BS reveals itself:
- 😈 "Sorry, no budget for raises this year."
- You get an offer from competitor
- 😈 "Wait! We found a 40% increase for you!"
(An extra mini-lesson: Often, the best ways to get around BS is by being a) getting leverage, like another offer, and b) selfish to prioritize yourself)
👑 BS detector = a CEO's best friend too
Case in point:
Whatever you think about his politics, Elon Musk's BS detector is sharp. When taking over Twitter, he got a call from Sam Bankman-Fried, offering $3B in funding.
Most people would jump at the offer to get funding from a top founder, and at the time, leader in the booming crypto-space.
But, Elon DIDN’T take it.
Why?
Because when he found out SBF was the 25th richest person in America at 20-something, living in the Bahamas, his BS detector went through the roof. Elon talks about it here.
(Good call, as SBF wound up getting 25 years for fraud.)
So how do you develop this skill?
Start here:
👺 73% of stats are made up
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says,
"When the data doesn't agree with the anecdote, the anecdote is usually right."
For example:
He was told in a presentation that Amazon's customer response time was less than a minute. Less than a minute? Sounds like BS. So he calls Amazon support — IN THE MEETING.
Turns out, the waiting time is well over 10 minutes.
(Here’s the 3-min vid where Bezos talks about it)
The lesson? Data can lie. Look at:
- How it was collected
- Who measured it
- Whether it matches reality
- If you’re measuring the right thing
MANY people quote stats to sound legit (and it’s something I recommend most people do to sound more confident too!).
But, just because it’s a number, don’t treat it as face value. Verify them. Especially if you’re relying on them for important decisions.
🍞 Whose bread do they eat?
In German, there's a saying, "Whose bread I eat, his song I sing."
I.e: People do what they're incentivized for.
Take influencers raving about the "life-changing" products they promote. Are they really that amazing, or is it the sponsorship money talking?
Or your real estate agent pushing you to make an offer ASAP because "the market's hot." Is it really, or do they just want their commission check?
Always ask: What's their incentive? What's their expertise? What's their agenda?
If their incentives contradict their advice, their advice is almost always BS.
🧐 Test advice in small steps.
There’s always gonna be times when you can’t verify people’s claims.
Someone promises their approach will "revolutionize" your work.
A framework that "always delivers results."
A strategy that's "guaranteed to succeed."
Whenever you hear absolutes like these, proceed with caution.
Test it small. See if it actually works. Then decide if it's worth scaling up.
🧩 Look for patterns
Your manager keeps saying "we'll discuss that promotion next quarter"?
Your startup's been "just 6 months away from profitability" for 2 years?
That client who's "definitely going to pay next week"?
Pattern recognition is your friend. When you spot the same BS playing out again and again, trust your gut.
(Btw, a mini lesson I want you to remember => People who BS are usually repeat offenders)
💩 Everyone’s BS…until proven otherwise
Yes..
Including me!
Seriously:
I like to think my advice is pretty good, but don’t take it (or anyone else’s) as gospel. It’s just what works for me, and the people I know. And I know a decent bit about careers because of Resume Worded.
But if I start preaching about nutrition, finance or health? Don’t treat it the same as my career strategy.
Just because someone's credible in one area doesn't mean they're credible in all areas.
