Sequoia Capital

Teach Decision‑Making, Not Just Math or AI

The latest on Outlier's Path - Being Right vs. Getting It Right -- During Thanksgiving Break, I found joy at several friends' and family gatherings. I've learned to sit between the adults' table and the kids' table. The conversations at that intersection are always more interesting. The adults bring experience. The kids bring possibilities. Together, they create a broader aperture of the world. This year, AI and our pending irrelevance were top of mind at both tables, and one question surfaced repeatedly: what should college and teenage students study to remain relevant in the future? People expected me to say math, computer science, or AI. Those subjects are essential foundations, not because of the specific coursework, but because they teach you how to think critically. Yet, almost everything I learned as an undergraduate in those fields became outdated soon after entering the workforce. After some back-and-forth subsided, I offered a different answer: learn how to make good decisions under uncertainty. In competitive arenas, such as entrepreneurship, venture capital, and science, there's no shortage of brilliant experts. The world is full of raw intellect and sharp arguments. Yet, the people who make the most significant impacts share something more profound than intelligence. They consistently make better decisions, and that skill compounds. There is a significant difference between being right and getting it right. The two feel similar but lead to entirely different paths. Being right is about ego, proving you're smart, defending your beliefs, winning the debate, and maintaining status. It's seductive because it rewards the quick intellect of experts and the confident certainty of pundits, but it's also blinding. When consumed with being right, we filter information to confirm our views, sideline dissenting perspectives, and cling to ideas we should have outgrown. We protect our identity rather than evolving our understanding. Getting it right, on the other hand, is about getting to the proper outcomes. It's about truth-seeking. It's about learning, unlearning, and relearning as the world shifts. It's about progress over pride. People who focus on getting it right embrace curiosity. They update their priors when new data emerges. They separate themselves from their ideas so they can discard the ones that no longer serve them. They recognize that adaptability rather than brilliance is the real competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world. That is decision quality in action. Founders and leaders feel the effects of decision quality more directly than most. When leaders prioritize being right, they create cultures where people hold back, avoid risk, and defer to authority. Conformity and groupthink become the default. Dialogue shuts down. Progress slows. Leaders who focus on getting it right, regardless of who provides the solutions, cultivate psychological safety, encourage open debate, and empower teams to contribute meaningfully. These are the environments where people stretch themselves, take ownership, and do their best work. Generally, we will follow the "being right" leaders reluctantly and the "getting it right" leaders willingly. Which do you want to be?