What problems might there be in Gladwell's list of history's richest individuals in Outliers: The Story of Success Questions?

There are multiple problems in Gladwells' list of
History's richest individuals as listed in his text Outliers: The Story of
Success.

First, one must understand the term
"outlier". An outlier defined by Merriam Webster in the following
way:

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: something (as a
geological feature) that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or
related body.

Therefore,
Gladwell is defining the richest individuals in history as those who are not typical in
mainstream society.

Gladwell states that the only way one
can succeed is by honing their skill by dedicating 10,000 hours to it. This, simply
stated, forces one to become basically obsessed with the perfection needed to insure
mastery.

This being said, Gladwell fails to recognize the
aspect of luck in gaining absolute richness. Gladwell focuses completely upon the aspect
of nurture over nature.

What Gladwell fails to acknowledge
is the aspect of "self-made" and the simplicity of simply wealth happening without the
notion of obsessiveness or dedication to honing specific skills.

Without acknowledgement of the miracle of wealth (the
lottery, winning a very large settlement, or passing down of "old money"), Gladwell
dismisses those of this category as not being rich. Basically, Gladwell only wishes to
acknowledge those who pursue accomplishment and, therefore, gain wealth.