Is former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin unqualified to offer life advice now?
I recently read an article in the New York Times written by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. In it, Mr. Rubin talked briefly about his time as co-head of the investment banking giant Goldman Sachs in the early 1990s, and the advice he used to give to young people who asked him for one. According to him, he routinely offered this: “First, become really good at what you do, and then branch out to get involved in activities and issues in the wider world beyond your work.” Highly successful people like Mr. Rubin are frequently asked to speak at university commencement ceremonies. While the themes of such speeches may vary widely, service to one’s community and the world is something that pretty much every speaker recommends to graduating students. Thus, there was nothing controversial about the words of wisdom that Mr. Rubin mentioned. After reading the article, I browsed the first few reader comments and was quite taken aback by the vitriol. I spent another half an hour rea...