Boris Nikolaev
happiness · ventures · robots
I'm an economist who studies happiness, entrepreneurship, and AI. In simple terms, I'm interested in what makes people's lives go well — why they take risks, how work shapes well-being, and how big forces like technology, institutions, and luck affect who gets ahead.
Some people peak in high school. Some peak in midlife. Apparently, I peaked in 1970 — before I was born — and have zero plans to peak again. Curious when you peaked?
Interactive search of US baby-name popularity from 1880 to 2024, plotting how often a name was given over time, marking its peak year, comparing up to three names.
Based on U.S. Social Security data, 1880–2024.
We like to think success is mostly skill. But what happens when a hundred brilliant, highly skilled people chase the same job, grant, or journal publication? As the gap between their skills shrinks, who wins quietly tips from merit toward luck — the paradox of skill. And now what happens when everyone can use the same AI tool to polish their résumé, paper, or portfolio? Observed differences in skill shrink even further. The more AI makes everyone look alike on paper, the more luck — not merit — decides who actually wins the race. Play with the simulation below to see the effect.
The threshold lottery
Each dot is one of 1,500 applicants to an elite pool. The vertical axis is the random luck of their evaluation; the horizontal axis is their underlying skill. The cutoff is a lottery in disguise.
Based on the selection model in my working paper When Merit Meets Noise.
I teach entrepreneurship and strategic management, and I once published on using games and experiments to teach game theory.
You’re X and you go first. Get three in a row — across, down, or diagonally — to win. Give it a shot. Good luck!
Three in a row wins — diagonals count.
The senior capstone at the College of Business at CSU.
Experimental class on how firms create, capture, and defend value — and how AI is quietly rewriting the playbook for competitive advantage.
A hands-on workshop I teach for AI Horizons — for researchers and professionals who want to learn how to use AI efficiently. The workshop demonstrates, through hands-on exercises, how we are moving from chatbots to coworkers.
I regularly work with businesses and organizations to problem-solve and come up with creative solutions. Here's how that usually looks:
I've given 50+ workshops and talks — on AI, well-being, entrepreneurship, pedagogy, and more — for universities, conferences, and teams. Hands-on, practical, and built for the room in front of me.
I advise universities, companies, and organizations on AI and well-being — where the tools genuinely help, how to adopt them wisely, and how it all ties back to people who thrive rather than burn out.
Independent economic and statistical analysis for litigation and disputes — careful, plainly explained, and built to stand up under scrutiny.
Freelance, project-based work — websites, dashboards, and data projects — designed, built, and delivered end to end. (This very site is Exhibit A.)
A short engagement or standing advisory, a keynote or a contract analysis — tell me what you're trying to do.
Start a conversation →A few pictures of places I've visited with people I love.
Moraine Lake · Banff
Cliffs of Moher · Ireland
Maroon Bells · Colorado
Bluebonnet season
Mount Shuksan
Horseshoe Bend · Arizona
Long exposure · night
Ecola · Oregon