The rule is simple: Do not be a commodity. Do not be easily comparable to other people who have, roughly, the same set of skills and the same background. The rule may be simple, but its history and implications are incredibly rich.

Basically, when you’re competing with people it’s because you’re copying them. It’s because you’re trying to do the same thing. But every human is different. Don’t copy.I know we’re mimetic creatures, and René Girard has a whole mimesis theory. But it’s much easier than that. Don’t imitate. Don’t copy. Just do your own thing. No one can compete wit... See more

Most people have access to the same information, so how you process that information — and how you apply it — becomes the differentiator.

So what will be the implications of this for humans? One thing that is already happening is job automation. According to research by Frey and Osborne at Oxford which assesses 702 occupations and their probability of being computerised in the coming decades, 47% of all American jobs are at risk. Historian and futurist Harari puts it well: ‘the ninet

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