Malcolm Gladwell Holds His Ideas Loosely. He Thinks You Should, Too.

Malcolm Gladwell Holds His Ideas Loosely. He Thinks You Should, Too.

Malcolm Gladwell, the best-selling author, has an office on a quiet street in Hudson, N.Y., where he sits at a desk under a poster of Mao Zedong, the former communist leader of China. Why? Maybe to signal how ideas can be dangerous? Nope, no particular reason. There are two other Chinese communist posters on the wall, too. “I found them online for like $10,” said Mr. Gladwell, 61. “I just think it’s funny.” Mr. Gladwell, who has spent his career…