Dr. Mike Orkin
Author/Stastician
What if the decisions that change your life boil down to something as unpredictable as flipping a coin?
Meet Dr. Michael (Mike) Orkin, a professor emeritus of statistics and an internationally recognized authority on luck, chance, and decision-making. Armed with a PhD from UC Berkeley and decades teaching at CSU East Bay and Berkeley City College, he’s authored multiple books: The Story of Chance: What’s Luck Got to Do With It? (2024), Probability and Statistics Made Interesting (2022), and earlier classics like What Are the Odds? Chance in Everyday Life.
Dr. Orkin’s work unpacks how randomness shapes everything from casino gambling to business risks and market bets. He’s consulted for Las Vegas oddsmakers, spoken at Google Tech Talks, and helped executives, athletes, and entrepreneurs see beyond illusion and into the mechanics of probability itself.
In a world obsessed with hustle and control, his clarity on luck vs. skill feels almost radical. This conversation is about the hidden math behind bold bets, how chance can humble even the most confident, and why understanding randomness may be your secret advantage.