In a world that is both complex and polarized, progress (which is fueled by sharing knowledge) is in serious danger of reversal.
The concept is almost trivial (which makes for a boring 1st half of the book), but the examples (partizan politics, fake news, pseudo science, etc.) are convincing and entertaining.
Good thought starter and a great tool to point out failures afterwards, but usually hard to get “the job” right before launch
Unfortunately, the book contains too many anecdotes that feature Woody Allen.
OK… exponential decrease of discomfort may imply decreasing marginal gains, but that does not imply that the future will not see consumer surplus stemming from future inventions.
Some well chosen case studies; but with too little explanation on ‘what’ they did and too many stories about how they did it.
Sound Math +Dubious Incentives = Potential Trouble
An overdose of righteous indignation makes the writing less compelling.
The designer behind Steve Jobs has greatly contributed to Apple’s successful revival.
Still surprising how many Apple products were flawed (overpriced, transparent, with wheel navigation, monitorless, …)
If you want to change the world, apply creative, unconventional thinking in a strategic way.
Surprisingly practical advise on how to drive change (make it safe for others, build coalitions, pick the right moment, be courageous yet receptive).
The ideas of Peter Drucker (“The Effective Executive”) explained in jargon-filled platitudes.
Align your IT department with your corporate objectives.
It seems to be impossible to write a book about IT without referring to ‘frameworks’ (= a solution a little bit more specific than a thought, but far less concrete than a plan).
Go for servant leadership: it’s in line with the chemistry of our brain.
NIcely crafted narrative around Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin to support a well established concept.
Useful view on high-stakes negotiations condensed into simple rules, and larded with FBI ‘war stories’.
Live by Covey’s 2nd habit: ‘Begin with the end in mind’
Energizing expose of a well known leadership truism.
Most corporate cultures stifle learning and cross-fertilization of ideas.
Useful archetypes of desireable (‘multiplier’) and undesireable (‘diminisher’) behaviour.
Just remember the metaphor of the elephant, the rider, and the path.
Remark: Fascinating narrative on how agriculture spread across the globe.
Essential concepts from computer sciences intuitively explained for non-techies.
Remark: By far the best book on Pitching that I know.
Straight-forward sanity checks can make webshops a whole lot better.
A brave but flawed (e.g. on pricing) attempt to provide naive rules of thumb for how to influence highly context-dependent and ultra-personal customer decisions.
More emphasis could have been put on online shopping where more direct measurement possible and implementation is easier.
