“Economists often talk about the 80/20 Principle, which is the idea that in any situation roughly 80 percent of the “work” will be done by 20 percent of the participants. In most societies, 20 percent of criminals commit 80 percent of crimes. Twenty percent of motorists cause 80 percent of all accidents. Twenty percent of beer drinkers drink 80 percent of all beer. When it comes to epidemics, though, this disproportionality becomes even more extreme: a tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work.”

British-Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker

Malcolm Gladwell is a British-Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996, and he is known for books that bring ideas from social science, business, and culture to a wide general audience. He has published eight books. He also hosts the podcast Revisionist History and co-founded Pushkin Industries, a podcast company. His work often looks at why people and institutions think and behave as they do.