Summary
Vivek Ramaswamy criticized American culture for prioritizing “normalcy” over excellence, which leads tech companies hiring foreign-born workers over Americans.
In a post on X, he argued that U.S. culture celebrates mediocrity and undervalues nerdiness, hard work, and academic achievement.
His comments sparked backlash across the political spectrum, with critics labeling him out of touch with American culture.
The controversy may jeopardize his standing in the Trump administration.
I was about to say, you know what happened at every workplace I’ve ever been at when I did excellent work? I got more work piled onto me. I didn’t get a raise, I didn’t get a promotion or any recognition other than that excellent work being recognized as my new baseline.
Eventually, you just decide to stop caring too much and settle for mediocrity because it’s a hell of a lot easier than busting your ass for forty hours a week, so why bother doing that if you aren’t getting anything for actually doing good work?