+2 vs. x2

+2 vs. x2

by Jack Butcher
What's the difference between the atom business and the bit business?

Inspired by the writings of Naval, and my journey building Visualize Value — this visual depicts the nature of exponential digital networks and power laws.

In a market without physical constraints, you can build products and make media with close to zero cost of replication.

If these products or ideas "go viral" – you can deliver and capture value at scale sitting in your bedroom (where I'm writing this).
Planting Seeds by Visualize Value
Planting Seeds

If you are building something, it is far more useful to focus on the work you are doing to produce the result than the result itself.

Labor vs. Vision
Labor vs. Vision
Labor is generally a more interchangeable resource than vision.
Inspiration
Inspiration

To help understand this idea, consider the contrast between the two concepts ancient Greeks used to think about time.

Up Only
Up Only

It should be relatively simple to identify when we aren't accumulating net new experience, but in practice, it doesn't seem to be.

Descriptions
Descriptions

Language is an incredible tool. It makes it possible for us to externalize what we think and communicate it to others.

Getting Value
Getting Value

"It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." - Warren Buffett

Buying Time
Buying Time
The extent to which anything keeps working after you stop working is how much time you earn from making it.
Problems
Problems

To make progress, we must solve harder and harder problems in sequence.