I remember a senior who had been in business for 20 years once said something to Brother Cat:

“I’ve been selling goods for 20 years. Those live-streaming and short videos the young people play with are just flashy gimmicks. In the end, it all comes down to product quality and channels.” Back then, he said it with a hint of sarcasm and a bit of disdain.

But when I saw him again three years later, his factory had already shut down.

It wasn’t that his product was bad, but he had never done a single live-stream, never built a private domain. He watched helplessly as competitors easily sold the equivalent of his half-year’s inventory in just one live-stream.

Later, we met again and had a meal together. At the table, he took the initiative to say something to Brother Cat, which I still remember to this day:

“Back then, I thought I was sticking to my principles. Actually, I was just afraid to learn new things and didn’t want to admit it.”

I won’t comment too much on this, because this senior was also a big shot when I was a kid. He even bought toys for me! I used to think he was an amazing person.

But now that he’s failed, I don’t want to kick him while he’s down. So Brother Cat just said, “Let bygones be bygones. Forget it.” And went back to eating.

But deep down, Brother Cat thinks that many people don’t lose to the younger generation—they lose to that phrase “I’ve been in this industry for so many years.”

Because that phrase sounds like experience, but what it really translates to is:

“I’m not willing to learn anymore.”

In the past, judging whether someone was impressive might depend on how much they knew.

Now, judging whether someone is dangerous might depend on whether they are still willing to admit what they don’t know.

Brother Cat has seen many true masters; instead, they become more humble and more willing to ask young people questions.

But some people who have achieved success in the past often say things like “I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice,” as if afraid to appear less knowledgeable than others.

So maybe the truly scary thing isn’t ignorance, but having been right once and assuming you’ll always be right.

Do you have someone around you who was once very successful, but because of the influence of past success, missed an entire new era?

So what do you think? Is past success a moat, or a blindfold that keeps a person from seeing which way the wind is blowing?