Don’t trust a man who needs a wage, unless it’s a minimum wage

Someone on a salary that barely covers his living costs has a powerful incentive to deny the truth.

Faced with the choice of personal financial pain or lying, most people go with the latter.

Most people prefer earning a salary to doing the right thing (ie: whistle blowing).

As a rule, don’t expect someone who earns a salary to tell the truth regarding his industry.

He is motivated to lie to himself and others.

(Summary of extract of Nasim Taleb’s Skin in the Game. Highly recommended reading.)

Originally published at The Big Almanack.