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Paul Graham on Marketing · ViralLoop

Post by Paul Graham on X

Paul Graham@paulg

For a rich and well-connected kid who spends most of college partying or protesting, most of the value of attending an elite college is the brand. But for the child of immigrants for whom college is the introduction to the world of science, only a small fraction is.

1.3K likes64 repliesPosted Jul 7, 2020

View the original on X Written by Paul Graham. Captured Sep 4, 2026.

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Viral score

Based on absolute engagement — the platform doesn’t expose follower counts here, so large accounts score higher.

From likes, comments.

Why it worked

Short enough to read in full without expanding, which removes a step before the point lands.

The mechanics

Hook: Plain observation
Structure: Hook
Style: Conversational paragraphs at a steady pace.
Tone: plain, matter-of-fact
Written for: Marketers and content teams

Analysis by ViralLoop — not written by the original author.

Topics

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