A tech entrepreneur who spent four years idolising billionaire Elon Musk recently shared his realisation on LinkedIn, sparking mixed reactions online. In his post, Pranjal G, an AI startup founder, explained why obsessing over billionaires won't really help anyone be productive. "You Won't Succeed by Watching Elon Musk," he wrote, while sharing his own experience of being caught in the cycle of admiration. Mr Pranjal revealed he had been diligently following Elon Musk for four years.
"The embarrassing truth of my obsession: 2 Teslas purchased in 18 months, 17 biographies and books consumed, 200+ hours of podcast interviews (and) Tesla stock that nearly broke me," Mr Pranjal wrote, reaclling his 4-year obsession with the world's richest man.
However, the techie said that despite his deep dive into Musk's world, his own ambitions remained stagnant.
"What I finally realized after 4 years of fanboy worship: While I was studying his life, I wasn't building mine. While I tracked his tweets, my own projects collected dust. While I defended him online, my skills stagnated," he said.
Mr Pranjal admitted that the time and energy he poured into idolising a billionaire had, in reality, kept him from making meaningful progress in his own endeavors. He shared the "brutal reality" about idolising billionaires. "Their 'morning routines' aren't why they succeeded. Their 'mindset tips' came after their wealth, not before. Their 'work ethic' was enabled by family money. Their 'genius insights' came from teams they hired," the techie wrote.
"The real cost of my obsession wasn't financial. It was opportunity cost. Elite performers aren't studying other performers. They're too busy performing. I've since redirected that energy into my own ventures and doubled my income in 18 months. Stop watching billionaires. Start building your own runway," he concluded his post.
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Social media users were quick to react to Mr Pranjal's insights. While some praised him for character growth and realising his error of his ways, others mocked him for his "unhealthy" obsession.
"All obsessions--especially parasocial obsessions over personality cults--are toxic and detrimental to ones well-being. Good on you for breaking free," wrote one user. "A Very Good Post. When One tries to mimic footsteps , they follow a Trend. The ones who truly succeed are hashtag#Trendsetters. Create your own path," said another.
However, one user jokingly wrote, "Wait, you're telling me being a bootlicker/simp for a billionaire isn't a pathway to success and wealth?!"
"The amount of people who worship famous and/or rich people astounds me.They take a shit just like you and I do, people..." wrote a third user. "Who on this whole earth thinks idolizing anyone is good for them?" asked another.
