
What Shannon is getting at, I suspect, is that generating good ideas is about getting good at multiplying the essence of every input. Bad ideas may be produced if you get the essence wrong, but the better you identify it, the more effectively you’ll be able to uncover insights.
…programmers you’re in, a career in technology means continuing your education throughout your life. If you want to stay in the second cohort of programmers you may want to invest in learning how to create the machines, rather than simply operate them.