Nassim Nicholas Taleb (born 1960) is the author of Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder (2012). He was born in Lebanon and studied at the University of Paris. He became a successful options trader and has held numerous executive positions at banks including Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank. He reportedly became financially independent while still in his twenties, and he has cultivated an image of himself as an outsider genius with highly refined tastes; his author page at Penguin Random House calls him a flaneur and his books celebrate autodidacticism.

His body of work as a writer revolves around the concept of randomness and its effects on human events. He emphasizes the limitations of human knowledge, especially when it comes to risk evaluation or preparing for and responding to surprising and unexpected events. His thought is characterized by provocative and often contrarian perspectives that challenge the mainstream, while his style is both engaging and intellectually rigorous. He brings philosophical depth to his books while also infusing them with humor and a highly personal authorial presence. Stylistically, his writing uses aphorism, colorful anecdote, and a plethora of examples from a wide range of fields that reflect his eclectic interests.