Counterintuitive Facts (39): Why Does Zuckerberg Dress Like a Computer Repair Guy?

I. At Silicon Valley launch events, you'll see an interesting scene:

New intern: Wearing the trendiest Supreme hoodie, limited edition sneakers. Subtext: I want to prove I'm cool.

Middle manager: Wearing a sharp three piece suit, Rolex watch. Subtext: I want to prove I'm successful, I'm different from the intern.

Billionaire CEO: Wearing a washed out wrinkled gray T shirt, flip flops. Subtext: I don't need to prove anything.

II. This seems like some kind of cycle. Bottom dresses casually. Middle dresses carefully. Top dresses casually again. But this isn't simply "returning to basics." This is the highest level game theory strategy. It's called Countersignaling.

III. Recall signaling theory (see Article 18 "Handicap Principle"): In a world of information asymmetry, you need to send costly