The Evolution of Elite Education

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Elite education systems have historically focused on training leaders and professionals in specific goals, whether it be running empires or building infrastructure. The British model aimed to train the cream of the crop of the British aristocracy to run the British Empire, while the German model emphasized technical education to train engineers. Both systems were designed for elites teaching elites, with specific knowledge and objectives imparted to prepare the new elite class. Over time, the American system has merged these approaches, aiming to train leaders in both technical and traditional disciplines. However, the speaker emphasizes the risk of setting specific goals, as people tend to optimize for those objectives regardless of consequences, as demonstrated in Goodhart's law.

Welcome to “The Ben & Marc Show”, featuring a16z co-founders Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen. In this latest episode -- the final in a three part series on the current crisis in higher education -- Marc and Ben answer YOUR questions from X (formerly Twitter).

In this one-on-one conversation, Ben and Marc unpack the merits of a Harvard undergrad education versus a Thiel Fellowship, discuss the benefits of trade school, and determine what universities are going to look like ten years from now. That and much more! Please enjoy.

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Marc on X: https://twitter.com/pmarca

Marc’s Substack: https://pmarca.substack.com/

Ben on X: https://twitter.com/bhorowitz

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