I agree with the authors that “timing” can play a role in luck. For instance, those SV “ground-floor entrepreneurs” of tech startups in the 80’s and early 90’s which are now household names made huge fortunes.
Even though there are still startups in SV today, the “golden era of invention” (when the idea of “tech” to the masses was new) has passed. The beneficiaries of this “timed luck” were indeed born between 1950 and 1955. Steve Jobs (with a HS Diploma and 1 yr of college under his belt) was a good example.
