<< No, actually, it isn't necessarily false. And I don't think luck alone made him what he is. I merely believe it contributed to his success >>
The point is, anyone could've started a nice computer website about 4 years ago. But to work on it everyday several hours a day is not what just anyone could do. You could start website on a specific subject today and make a million. It doesn't have to be about computers, as with hundreds of millions of people out there today, attracting just .01% of them everyday to browse around your site is possible with the diversity of people out there.
If you and I, or the thousands of his readers started this type of thing four years ago, I doubt there'd be too many people that would achieve this level of success. Anyone could look back and say, hey if I did that 5 years ago, I'd be rich. Five years from now someone could look back on someone from today and say, hey if I did that 5 years ago, I'd be rich. You COULD be one of those guys that someone in the future looks back right now the same way you're looking at Anand.
There's a million oppurtunities out there, and if you're willing to look for it, and spend 10 hours a day working on it, guess what, you'll be a millionaire as well. If that's the case, then luck would have had little to do with it.
If you told me five years ago that a website that talks about computer products would attract millions of viewers each day, I, and many others out there would've told you you're crazy. The point is, the crazier the risk, the more success it has brought. At the same time the crazier the risk, the more trouble it could bring to you. It's the permeatation of the crazy ideas that could be successes that makes a success.
I mean, who would've thought that a talk show with a 14-year-old black prisoned girl talking about other troubled people could've stayed on the air for a month, and look at Oprah and her $800 million. Or a site where people bid on pez dispensers could be anything worthwhile. And it goes on and on.