Chamath invented "data scientist" at Facebook to lure a PhD who thought "analyst" sounded weak. Now every company slaps "scientist" on everything to make mediocre work sound credible.
Education is doing the same with "Learning Scientist." Edtech companies rebrand product designers, wrap features in academic jargon, and parents buy it without asking for proof.
Real learning science exists. Spaced repetition works. Retrieval practice beats rereading. Mastery-based progression has evidence. But citing principles ≠ proving YOUR product works.
"Built on learning science" is marketing theater. Schools claim students learn 2x faster but won't show you the data. Compared to what? Measured how? Where's the control group?
The worst part? Questioning these claims gets you labeled anti-science. That's backwards. Demanding evidence IS science.
Simple test for any "Learning Scientist":
1️⃣ Did you test it against a real alternative?
2️⃣ Could the test have proven you wrong?
3️⃣ Did you publish results?
No to any of these? It's just title inflation with a lab coat on.
Education is doing the same with "Learning Scientist." Edtech companies rebrand product designers, wrap features in academic jargon, and parents buy it without asking for proof.
Real learning science exists. Spaced repetition works. Retrieval practice beats rereading. Mastery-based progression has evidence. But citing principles ≠ proving YOUR product works.
"Built on learning science" is marketing theater. Schools claim students learn 2x faster but won't show you the data. Compared to what? Measured how? Where's the control group?
The worst part? Questioning these claims gets you labeled anti-science. That's backwards. Demanding evidence IS science.
Simple test for any "Learning Scientist":
1️⃣ Did you test it against a real alternative?
2️⃣ Could the test have proven you wrong?
3️⃣ Did you publish results?
No to any of these? It's just title inflation with a lab coat on.