You have not understood correctly regarding Carl. He claimed, in hindsight, that Zuckerberg’s potential could’ve been distinguished in foresight, but he did not do so.
People described him to me as resembling a young Bill Gates. His estimated expected future wealth based on that data if pursuing entrepreneurship, and informed by the data about the relationship of all of the characteristics I could track with it, was in the 9-figure range. Then add in that facebook was a very promising startup (I did some market sizing estimates for it, and people who looked at it and its early results were reliably impressed).
You have not understood correctly regarding Carl. He claimed, in hindsight, that Zuckerberg’s potential could’ve been distinguished in foresight, but he did not do so.
I’m puzzled, is there a way to read his comment
other than as him doing it at the time?
Yes, as his post facto argument.