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The Alpha Myth: How captive wolves led us astray


A wolf paces in captivity, teaching us all the wrong lessons about power

The behavior caught the eye of biologist David Mech, who documented what appeared to be a rigid hierarchy – a system where one "alpha" male dominated through aggression and force. Consider how this plays out in Silicon Valley, where the "move fast and break things" mentality has created a leadership culture that celebrates disruption over sustainability, dominance over collaboration. The company's "let my people go surfing" philosophy – which encourages employees to step away from work to pursue passion and maintain balance – seems radical only because we've normalized captive behavior.

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