what is the myth of malcolm gladwell, and what is the reality? lcolm: i don't think i have arrived at the level of myth. i am just about as boring and pedestrian in my private life as i appear to be in my public life. emily: "the tipping point" was your first best-selling book, you said you had no idea how big it would become. looking back, do you understand why it did? malcolm: i don't. my books and books of many other people caught a specific wave, i think, over the last 20 years. which is, there was this emerging class of businessperson demanding a higher level of sophistication in thinking about business in the world. i was part of that wave. but why my book was chosen above, instead of others, i have no -- the whole thing is as mysterious to me today as it was when the book came out. i haven't read it in 20 years. i have no idea how it stands up. emily: you went on to write four more books, all bestsellers. "blink," "outliers," "what the dog saw," "david and goliath." so many of your ideas have been widely implemented, widely debated, have yo

joining me on "studio 1.0," author, journalist, and thought-provoker, malcolm gladwell. you so much for being here, it's really great to have you. in your latest book, "david and goliath," your argument is disadvantages can become

you were heavily criticized by malcolm gladwell.ne way of reading his review in the new yorker is that you're an imposter. [laughter] >> but it didn't end well. >> most people he's not the best writer in the world. that's where it was bad for me and i guarantee no one got it. >> what do you think his mistake is? >> one of the things he said he's not an expert in this area. >> that's for sure. he does this dichotomy as you will recall. she writes about the people and institutions and he actually said they wrote the story of how the institution of the white house corrupted richard nixon. i would bet if you asked bob woodward he would say that it is vice versa. so his whole motto falls apart and what that has to do with my book i am still trying to figure that out. what he said about the book is that i don't rely enough on the private marketplace. then he mentioned a book by someone who's a turkic guy and wrote a thoughtful book in which he espouses the private marketplace and the jacket is from his friend malcolm gladwell i just disag

you know malcolm gladwell wrote that book "blink." quick decisions. >> that's right. >> and it's very sad. but unfortunately, they make quick decisions, most people about who will be president. and so the handlers make sure that their candidate looks as presidential as possible. you know most people watching this right now are not wearing suits and ties, but if you and i didn't, we wouldn't be on tv very long. you've got to look the part. >> indeed. some of my viewers aren't wearing anything at all which is a whole other story. you know one thing i thought of, though talking about how appearances can change your impressions. i think when a young, massachusetts senator named john kennedy went up against richard nixon in a presidential debate, many doubted, i guess, of whether he had the gravitas for the job or the experience for the job. yet, on the same stage with nixon, he came out okay. ronald reagan much the same. you know, 20 years later with jimmy carter that he was not quite the crazy cowboy the media had portrayed him to be or