César A. Hidalgo (@cesifoti) / X

César A. Hidalgo

13.3K posts

César A. Hidalgo

@cesifoti

Professor at Toulouse School of Economics & Director of the Center for Collective Learning. Founder Datawheel & OEC.world Latest book: The Infinite Alphabet

Toulouse, France

centerforcollectivelearning.org

Joined March 2009

Pinned
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Nov 6, 2025
How it started/How it's going. The Infinite Alphabet is out today, globally on Kindle and across bookstores in the UK. If you are curious about the history of learning curves, disruptive innovation, knowledge diffusion, and economic complexity, this book is for you. If you
51K
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Want to read an insane tenure denial story? I was denied tenure at MIT in 2018. I was the only Hispanic faculty at my department, had 13k+ citations, 2 books, & papers in Nature, Science, & PNAS. I was never given a reason & the only letter I got told me to check the website./1🧵
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Sep 12, 2021
After advising PhD & Master students for over a decade, there is one thing I find most students need to unlearn: the half-ass work mentality acquired during years of tests and homework. Let me explain (thread 🧵). 1/N #AcademicTwitter
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Oct 17, 2020
Today I am leaving the US. With my family we are exploring a new life in the south of France. I’ve been in the US for more than 16 years. I earned my citizenship & experienced many ups & downs. But I am grateful. The US was good to me in many ways ... /1
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
*I have more to tell. I could probably fill a book with the psychological damage I experienced at “the institute.” But as you may understand these are difficult things to talk about. They are the storm that lives within me & wakes me up at night. It took me years to share this.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
I finally got “an answer.” The president of MIT told me that tenure was not about research, productivity, or merit. It was about office politics & being liked by your department. He didn’t mean it in a bad way. I think he was being kind & honest. So I ask him if I should appeal.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Oct 21, 2019
Un mensaje para nuestro presidente @sebastianpinera desde su querida escuela de Economía en Harvard. Con honestidad y respeto, de un ciudadano chileno a otro. #ChileDesperto #ChileDespierta #chile #ChileInCrisis
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César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
“Look Cesar, the truth is that, if you are a mediocre researcher, but your department wants to keep you, they’ll find a way to keep you. And if you are a strong researcher, and your department wants to get rid of you, they’ll find a way to get rid of you.”
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 24, 2021
There is a lot of discussion of bias in economics. This discussion is justified & needed. What I can add to this is some stories on how economists treat people from outside the field. Let me share with you a few bone chilling stories of what I’ve been through 🧵/1 #EconTwitter
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Jun 8, 2020
True for so many disciplines. It applies also to cumbersome use of language.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
My mistake was thinking I was a player when I was a pawn.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
I did not appeal. That year changed me. Before then I believed in an imperfect meritocracy. After all, scientific work is reproducible and verifiable. Its adoption is also expressed imperfectly in citations. It was time to grow up & accept the cynicism.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
Feb 17, 2022
Replying to @cesifoti
“I am sorry, I am not going to be able to simply talk about research. I just learned that my tenure case was denied.” He looked at me & said instantly: “But if your case had been approved, who in the senior faculty would have won?” He understood the game.
César A. Hidalgo
@cesifoti
May 20, 2021
The academic circle of life 😂