I love PG, but some of his essays lately seem to make me sad, like he's out of touch. I know plenty of earnest (and, frankly, quite talented) people. What they lack is capital and guidance (and maybe some discipline and motivation, to be fair). But, they will read a PG essay and say, "Hey! That's me! Why can't PG invest in me?". To which case, they quickly realize, "Oh, cause I can't show that I can make any money from my idea. Or, because I'm not savvy at manipulating people or presenting my ideas well." Or something like that.
Not much. The idea that through hard work you can get anywhere, no matter where you come from, is just a gigantic delusion and a lie we've been insistently taught to believe.
There's billions of people working daily harder than any CEO just to bring food to their families. They will never become rich.
I think the point of the essay is not that being earnest is enough to get funded, but rather than being earnest is NOT a disadvantage. There's a goodly chunk of the populace, even within tech, who might believe that it is, and I think the point of the essay is to demonstrate that it is not, and in fact it is even an advantage.
So, what are those types of people to do?