Some of my favorite takeaways from Samo Burja's "Great Founder Theory" & other writings: Thread 👇
Great Founder Theory: samoburja.com/wp-content/upl…
Other writing: samoburja.com
Great Founder Theory: samoburja.com/wp-content/upl…
Other writing: samoburja.com
Diff theories of history:
Great man theory looks at history through the lens of the individuals who shaped it.
Technological determinism explain events in terms of the technologies that enabled them.
Progressivism looks at history through the lens of increasing social justice.
Great man theory looks at history through the lens of the individuals who shaped it.
Technological determinism explain events in terms of the technologies that enabled them.
Progressivism looks at history through the lens of increasing social justice.
Functional institutions are the exception, not the norm.
Society flourishes by having functional institutions
Great Founder Theory focuses on how great founders create (or rebuild) functional institutions that enable (sustained) flourishing
Society flourishes by having functional institutions
Great Founder Theory focuses on how great founders create (or rebuild) functional institutions that enable (sustained) flourishing
A functional institution can outright solve a problem for a civilization.
It might, for example, complete the construction of infrastructure so important it changes the course of economic development for centuries to come, such as ancient China’s grand canal or...solving COVID.
It might, for example, complete the construction of infrastructure so important it changes the course of economic development for centuries to come, such as ancient China’s grand canal or...solving COVID.
"Like many things, people’s impact on the world follows a Pareto-like distribution, with the most impactful people having a far greater impact than the rest.
The creation of functional institutions is the means by which people are hugely impactful."
The creation of functional institutions is the means by which people are hugely impactful."
It's easier to start from scratch than to rebuild from within.
Institutions often resist change, and diagnosing dysfunction is hard, as it usually has many causes
This explains Thiel’s law: a founder’s best shot at creating a functional institution is to get it from the start.
Institutions often resist change, and diagnosing dysfunction is hard, as it usually has many causes
This explains Thiel’s law: a founder’s best shot at creating a functional institution is to get it from the start.
Live & Dead players:
A live player is a person or a tightly coordinated group of people that is able to innovate (startup mentality).
A dead player is a person or a group of people that is working off a script, incapable of doing new things. (incumbent mentality)
A live player is a person or a tightly coordinated group of people that is able to innovate (startup mentality).
A dead player is a person or a group of people that is working off a script, incapable of doing new things. (incumbent mentality)
Understanding a player is dead means you can replace them without much of a fight.
Understanding a player is live means you can collaborate with them and you should be mindful of their path to power
To revive a dead player, you have to displace an existing power structure
Understanding a player is live means you can collaborate with them and you should be mindful of their path to power
To revive a dead player, you have to displace an existing power structure
What happens to institution when great founder dies?
Succession challenge.
Power succession: Who takes over
Skill succession: How do they gain the skills.
Rome solved this by "adopting" someone early and ensuring their training
Succession challenge.
Power succession: Who takes over
Skill succession: How do they gain the skills.
Rome solved this by "adopting" someone early and ensuring their training
If the succession problem is unsolved, the only process of institutional reform is the destruction of abandoned institutions by new ones, the process sometimes described as creative destruction.
That we praise this process indicates we've resigned ourselves to failed succession.
That we praise this process indicates we've resigned ourselves to failed succession.
We should temper our enthusiasm for intense political and economic competition and instead develop a greater appreciation for the importance of successful succession.
This change would go far in remedying contemporary institutional sclerosis and stagnation.
This change would go far in remedying contemporary institutional sclerosis and stagnation.
The purpose of a bureaucracy is to save the time of a competent person.
Put another way: to save time, some competent people will create a system that is meant to do exactly what they want — nothing more and nothing less
Put another way: to save time, some competent people will create a system that is meant to do exactly what they want — nothing more and nothing less
Create a bureaucracy when you are both
(a) trying to do something that you do not have the capacity to do on your own, and
(b) unable to find a competent, aligned person to handle the project for you.
Bureaucracies ameliorate the problem of talent and alignment scarcity.
(a) trying to do something that you do not have the capacity to do on your own, and
(b) unable to find a competent, aligned person to handle the project for you.
Bureaucracies ameliorate the problem of talent and alignment scarcity.
Bureaucrats are expected to act according to a script, or a set of procedures — and that’s it.
Owners don’t trust that bureaucrats will be competent or aligned enough to act in line with the owner’s wishes of their own accord.
If low trust, minimize downside (& thus cap upside)
Owners don’t trust that bureaucrats will be competent or aligned enough to act in line with the owner’s wishes of their own accord.
If low trust, minimize downside (& thus cap upside)
Other methods of accomplishing goals:
If you have access to a delegate (i.e someone you trust), don’t treat them like a bureaucrat.
A delegate can perform tasks you didn’t know needed doing and build aligned systems beyond your design, a bureaucrat cannot.
If you have access to a delegate (i.e someone you trust), don’t treat them like a bureaucrat.
A delegate can perform tasks you didn’t know needed doing and build aligned systems beyond your design, a bureaucrat cannot.
Status is a coordination mechanism—the relative respect & patterns of deference accorded to people, groups & organizations by wider society.
Dispersing it wisely decreases friction for certain high impact people to team up and work on certain high impact projects (& vice versa).
Dispersing it wisely decreases friction for certain high impact people to team up and work on certain high impact projects (& vice versa).
Celebration of such people isn’t merely a personal reward.
It is how we replenish this social capital, which in turn powers the social fabric that enables these people to do what they do.
Without it, you can’t go to space. (e.g. Elon helping make space cool & feasible)
It is how we replenish this social capital, which in turn powers the social fabric that enables these people to do what they do.
Without it, you can’t go to space. (e.g. Elon helping make space cool & feasible)
Dispersing status is one of the most important roles of the ruler—
The ruler uses his prestige to regulate overall status, so that the right people & the right behaviors win, solving coordination problems & tragedies of the commons.
Glory is a better motivator than money.
The ruler uses his prestige to regulate overall status, so that the right people & the right behaviors win, solving coordination problems & tragedies of the commons.
Glory is a better motivator than money.
intellectual dark matter: knowledge we cannot see publicly, but whose existence we can infer because our institutions would fly apart if the knowledge we see were all there was.
The danger of copying:
Once a tradition is lost, you are making photocopies of photocopies.
The danger of copying:
Once a tradition is lost, you are making photocopies of photocopies.
Each subsequent copy loses information.
A crucial difference between organisms & organizations is that organizations do not undergo natural selection.
Since the fidelity of transmitting intricate social technologies is so low, complex adaptations cannot arise.
A crucial difference between organisms & organizations is that organizations do not undergo natural selection.
Since the fidelity of transmitting intricate social technologies is so low, complex adaptations cannot arise.
Lost knowledge: Just as physicists are only able to observe 15% of matter in existence, today we possess written fragments from only 13% of the ~2,000 known ancient Greek
Much of our foundational knowledge was built on that ~13% Imagine how much we'd have if we'd found more?
Much of our foundational knowledge was built on that ~13% Imagine how much we'd have if we'd found more?
Tacit knowledge is knowledge that's not transmitted in writing.
e.g. a blacksmith learns to craft well-balanced swords through direct practice and correction from a master — not by reading a textbook.
My 4/1 assist to turnover ratio in pick up b-ball—you can't teach that.
e.g. a blacksmith learns to craft well-balanced swords through direct practice and correction from a master — not by reading a textbook.
My 4/1 assist to turnover ratio in pick up b-ball—you can't teach that.
YouTube enables the teaching of tacit knowledge at scale unlike anything before.
Without YT, much tactic knowledge turned into intellectual dark matter.
YT searches in the “how-to” category have grown 70% year-on-year.
Perhaps as influential as printing press or telegraph.
Without YT, much tactic knowledge turned into intellectual dark matter.
YT searches in the “how-to” category have grown 70% year-on-year.
Perhaps as influential as printing press or telegraph.
Samo's YouTube content is also great: youtube.com/channel/UC4QYB…
Did a couple podcasts w/ him:
stitcher.com/podcast/villag…
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wha…
Did a couple podcasts w/ him:
stitcher.com/podcast/villag…
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wha…
