October 17, 2025

Reader feedback re: The “Picasso Napkin” Story

Friend-of-the-list Jason Troyer sent in a killer reply to my email about the Picasso Napkin story (shared with permission, lightly edited for clarity):

This is so helpful to unpack this.

I can see this being really understood by professors -- who have spent years becoming experts within a niche.

It would be easy for us to argue that surely we should make at least double or triple the hourly rate of a plumber because “we went to school for sooo muuuch longer!” --- and yet, if my sewers are backing up, I will pay the Roto-Rooter guy almost anything he asks.

(Meanwhile, I wouldn’t pay the world’s leading expert on Corinthian pottery anything because I have no use for their expertise).

—Jason

Hilarious, yet brutal... my favorite!

Thanks to Jason for sending this in :-)

Yours,

—J

BackRandomNext