The Brainy Business Podcast

Episode 547: "Anointed: How Status Shapes Success"

Date: Nov 6, 2025
Host: Melina Palmer
Guest: Dr. Toby Stewart, Professor, UC Berkeley Haas and author of "Anointed"

Overview

In this engaging episode, Melina Palmer welcomes Dr. Toby Stewart to discuss his new book, Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World. Together, they explore the invisible but profound role of "anointment"—being endorsed, validated, or signaled by high-status individuals or organizations—in shaping who and what succeeds in business, art, science, and daily life.

The conversation reveals how status isn't just about merit or hard skills, but about who gives their stamp of approval and how that stamp changes the trajectory of ideas, products, companies, and people. Dr. Stewart breaks down the mechanics, reveals surprising research, and shares real-world stories, providing actionable insights for professionals and organizations seeking to understand and leverage the power of status dynamics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What is "Anointment"? (05:24–10:30)

• Definition and Origins:

  • The term "anointed" describes the process of being blessed or validated by someone or something with status (05:24).
  • Dr. Stewart, drawing on his Catholic school upbringing, explains how the book explores status from grand moments (Ivy League degrees, celebrity endorsements) to small, everyday occurrences (a compliment from your boss, a key LinkedIn connection).

• "Social Proof 2.0":

  • Melina connects anointment to social proof, noting it's like a deeper or "behind-the-scenes" version of social proof (07:12).

  • Dr. Stewart calls anointment a "secondhand social proof"—the blessing or endorsement from a high-status party, such as Harvard University or a celebrity (08:52).

    "You could think of it as a secondhand social proof... organizations that are prominent bless somebody else via their affiliation or their imprimatur. And anointment is just kind of a catchy term for that process."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (09:40)

The Functional Role of Status: Why Does Anointment Matter? (11:17–15:35)

• Status as a Decision Shortcut:

  • Status serves a vital, functional role by reducing "choice overload" in modern life (11:17). Instead of evaluating every option, people use status signals to filter what—and who—they pay attention to.
  • Stewart breaks it down into three domains:
    1. Consumption Choices: What we choose to buy, read, or watch.
    2. Behavioral Choices: How we act in teams or groups, with social hierarchies guiding interactions.
    3. Resource Allocation: Status determines how opportunities and resources are distributed—high status attracts more.

• The Meritocracy Myth:

  • Palmer highlights, and Stewart confirms, that differences in opportunity distribution aren't purely merit-based (15:35).

  • Status can reflect hard work and talent, but also inequitable, ascriptive characteristics such as family background, gender, or race.

    "High status actors in all walks of life are rewarded with greater opportunity."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (15:26)

Status in the Business World: Brands, Funding, & Endorsement (16:37–19:57)

• Brand Perception & Endorsement:

  • Prestige brands (e.g., luxury goods) obsess over who is seen with their products—the process is all about careful anointment: celebrity endorsements, curated imagery, and selective associations (16:37).

• Entrepreneurship & Snowball Effect:

  • In Silicon Valley, status is acknowledged in accreditations (Y Combinator, Sequoia Capital) and can create a snowball effect for startups:
    • One high-status investor or accelerator leads to top talent, more investment, and market attention—even if the underlying product isn't superior (19:45).

Illustrative Stories: The Rembrandt Effect (20:36–24:51)

• Rembrandt Attribution Story:

  • A painting attributed to either the "circle of Rembrandt" or Rembrandt himself dramatically changes in value—despite being the exact same work. At "circle of Rembrandt," it's worth £100,000; as a genuine Rembrandt, it could fetch £50–100 million (20:36).

  • The difference is who gets to say it's a "real" Rembrandt—a further layer of status and anointment.

    "Suppose you take an identical thing... and you associate it with two different people and one is very prominent and the other isn't... The fate of it changes."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (20:41)

• Resume Experiment:

  • Identical resumes receive different responses based on the name attached (implied race or gender), revealing implicit status biases in hiring.

AI, Bias, and Status Replication (25:44–30:35)

• Predicting Founders with AI:

  • Dr. Stewart used millions of LinkedIn resumes to build models that predict who becomes a successful, venture-backed founder.
    • Past data skewed the model: results disproportionately predicted men, reflecting entrenched industry biases (25:44–29:47).

• A Path Forward:

  • AI's potential for more equitable decisions depends on explicit training to correct historical bias—but it requires conscious, ongoing effort (29:47).

    "If we pass out decisions to [properly audited AI], we...end up in a more equitable, less hierarchically status ranked world than in the current one."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (29:28)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the Universality of Status:

  • "We live in a status-based system in literally every walk of life, and it’s almost always hidden from us." (31:05)

• Wine Example—How an Anointer Changes Everything: (33:03–37:12)

  • Story of Matt Cooper, who, by anticipating famed wine critic Robert Parker’s ratings, flipped bottles of otherwise average Australian wine for massive profit—overnight, anointment made a $60 bottle worth $1,300.

    "That is the Rembrandt story...it's the same bottle of wine, but the day after Robert Parker says it’s 99, it’s worth 14 times more than it was the day before."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (36:06)

Takeaways for Listeners (31:05–39:21)

• Recognize Status Dynamics:

  • Success isn’t just about skill or merit—a seemingly small endorsement (anointment) can shift everything.

• Be Strategic:

  • Understand who the "anointers" are in your field. Seek their endorsement or affiliation, whether for your product, company, or career.

• Diversify Status Worlds:

  • Status varies across social contexts (workplace, family, industry)—know which matters for your goals (38:32).

    "All of us live in many social worlds and we have very different statuses across the social worlds...we're members of."
    — Dr. Toby Stewart (38:32)

• Lend Your Status:

  • If you have influence, use it to "anoint" and uplift others in your network.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "You could think of it as a secondhand social proof... organizations that are prominent bless somebody else via their affiliation or their imprimatur."
  — Dr. Toby Stewart (09:40)

• "High status actors in all walks of life are rewarded with greater opportunity."
  — Dr. Toby Stewart (15:26)

• "Suppose you take an identical thing... you associate it with two different people and one is very prominent and the other isn't... The fate of it changes."
  — Dr. Toby Stewart (20:41)

• "If we pass out decisions to [properly audited AI], we... end up in a more equitable, less hierarchically status ranked world than in the current one."
  — Dr. Toby Stewart (29:28)

• "All of us live in many social worlds and we have very different statuses across the social worlds...we're members of."
  — Dr. Toby Stewart (38:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [05:24] The definition and origins of "Anointment"
• [11:17] Why humans need status—decision overload and heuristics
• [16:37] Status in branding, startups, and the snowball effect
• [20:36] The "Rembrandt Effect" and status attribution stories
• [25:44] Predicting startup founders with AI and the risk of bias
• [33:03] Wine market story illustrating the power of anointment
• [38:32] The many worlds of status—navigating and leveraging them

Final Reflection

Dr. Stewart’s research spotlights the invisible, yet decisive, influence of social status and anointment on success. For professionals, founders, and leaders, understanding these dynamics can reveal new strategies for influence, selection, and growth—while also encouraging us to recognize and correct for unfair status-based biases in the systems we build and use.

For more:

• Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World by Dr. Toby Stewart
• Connect with Dr. Stewart via LinkedIn
• Related episodes and resources at thebrainybusiness.com/547