Consider this: many of the truly remarkable innovations of the latest generation—a list that includes Google, Facebook and Twitter—were all founded by people under 30. What is it about that youthful decade after those awkward teenage years that inspires such shoot-for-the-moon success? Does age really have something to do with it? The conventional wisdom is that young people bring fresh eyes and a new perspective to confronting problems and challenges that others have given up on. That may or may not be true, but it's only part of the story. Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, has another, colder theory that may explain it: Ultimately, it's about money. "In most cases when people are making good money, they're typically spending all of it and it becomes really hard to dial that back. If you bought a house or have obligations of one sort or another it may be very difficult." He said. In other words, it's the young people who have nothing to lose, with no mortgage and, frankly, with nothing to do on a Friday night except work, who are the ones often willing to take the biggest risks. Sure, they are talented. But it's their persistence and enthusiasm, the desire to stay up until 6 am., that is the difference between being a salaried employee and an entrepreneur (企业家). That's not to say that most 20-somethings are finding success. They're not. In truth, unemployment for workers aged 16 to 24 is double the national average. "Gen X" and "Gen Y" have far less wealth than their parents did at the same age, according to the Urban Institute. One of the biggest challenges facing this next generation—and one that may prevent more farsighted entrepreneurs from succeeding—is the staggering rise in the level of debt college students have been left with. If Thiel's theory is right, it is going to be harder and harder for young people to take big risks because they will be crushed with obligations before they even begin.
单选题
What does the "shoot-for-the-moon success" refer to?