https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Your story is interesting, of course; but you're not actually telling us the story.
Also, "total buffoon and had just been in the right place at the right time" is a pretty sweeping conclusion to say you realized "almost immediately".
Sometimes it takes a while, and some deep context, and then some more context, ideally in a different set of circumstances, before you can assess someone's capabilities fairly.
Some people shine in their specialty domain, and flail outside of it.
Others are good in fair weather, but fragile in a crisis. Others are kind of the opposite, losing steam day to day, but rising to the occasion when shit happens.
Seasoned salespeople know all this. They do well consistently in spite of it all by presenting themselves credibly irrespective of their competency in any domain. They dress right for their audience, and they speak persuasively, always mindful of what their audience wants and needs to hear.
But listen to Andreesen talk! He sounds like he's never had to learn how to persuade anybody of anything. Well, not any regular people.
https://audioboom.com/posts/7923122-flying-x-wings-into-the-...
Oh, I just googled it, and the answer is yes.
It's a curious thing, wealth accumulation.