I think it’s more about specialization. An actual expert is specialized in a very small area. This is not as interesting as someone who claims to have unlocked the mysteries of the universe.

I think Jordan Peterson is a great example. He’s an expert in a tiny research area related to alcoholism. But he lectures about chaos dragons, cleaning your room, etc. Which is going to make more fame/money for him?

Perhaps it’s a difference in communication experience, and effectiveness? Maybe the person who is already famous has lots of experience with talking to people and conveying information — perhaps they make more efficient use of a small amount of information — whereas the person with a lot of experience on the subject matter, but is poor at communication, is unable to effectively communicate the subject matter. One must be able to retain people’s attention to effectively communicate; this takes skill.

I think this timeline is designed to be my villain origin story

When the wise man points to the rising trend, the fool looks at the local minimum.

“My ignorance is just as good as your facts.”

I find it interesting that within the context of the comic, neither character is using media of any sort.