Huet: Successful cults and successful startups both rely on genuine core wisdom
Ellen Huet · Communal Living, Sex, And Silicon Valley's Groupthink Problem — With Ellen Huet · Nov 26, 2025 · at 56:11
Author and Bloomberg features writer Ellen Huet compares the operational dynamics of successful cults and high-growth Silicon Valley startups with host Alex Kantrowitz.
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“I mean, every successful cult has at its center, like, a significant amount of wisdom, because otherwise the teachings would never, like, get off the ground. And, you know, a lot of the, like, successful companies, even if they might lean heavily on, like, mythologizing their story, like, They would never get that far if they didn't have something extremely valuable also to offer. So it's often that combination. It's like, you have to have something of value and to have a story around it that is like deeply psychologically motivating to people. Like that is the combination that, that can take you really far.”
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