The Game Can Be Beaten Straight Up. That’s the Point.

“You need access.”

“You need connections.”

“You need the right circle.”

“You need inside information.”

“You need capital, infrastructure, and a backchannel.”

I detest that story—not because those things don’t matter at the highest institutional layers, but because they’re used as an excuse far below that layer.

You can beat the game straight up.

But you don’t …