Lessons in Product Design from Tony Fadell
Tony Fadell made headlines last year with the release of Nest, the consumer-friendly, AI-infused, beautiful thermostat. That this thermostat is all of these things should be no surprise if you look at Tony’s background - as the inventor of the iPod, and an executive at Apple who helped shepherd the iPhone
More support for inconsistency
Fast on the heels of last week's discussion of inconsistency is a post from Joel Gascoigne outlining his own rich history of inconsistency and attendant success, where he takes the lesson a step further:If you’re part of a startup, I believe that your success might actually be defined by whether you are willing to be inconsistent.
A Foolish Consistency: Bezos and Emerson Agree on Flexible Minds
Emerson wrote his essay on Self-Reliance in 1841, and a remarkable amount of it is still relevant today. For example, today’s post from Jason Fried on Signal Vs Noise shares a bit of similar wisdom from Jeff Bezos:
The Epidemic of Short-termism: Haldane and Christensen Speak Out
Want to Dent the Universe? Think farming not hunting.
Steve Jobs was known to have generally taken the "long view" when making business decisions, and in The Economist article, Taking the long view, Jeff Bezos is profiled as a "seer"
The "Pigeon" Problem: Linking Taxation & Venture Capital Confidence
The Economist recently claimed that Europe suffers from a "chronic failure to encourage ambitious entrepreneurs." It alludes to how European entrepreneurs may be at a disadvantage when trying to make their "dent." How much of that failure is based on tax policy?
Apple/Pixar Management Insights: McKinsey on "Cultivating Innovation"
If you're looking for business insights from the house of Jobs and have already gobbled up the excellent offerings from Isaacson and Lashinsky, consider this insightful PDF from McKinsey.
Justin Bieber? or his Agent?
Is there a special gene for denting the universe? Or is it something that anyone can do with a sufficient amount of effort?
From a recent piece on Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, in the New Yorker:
"Justin Bieber was born with the Superman powers," Braun said.
The Long View
I recently ran across an old post from Bijan Sabet, referencing an even older interview with Jeff Bezos, who outlines a “framework” for his decision to leave a cushy Wall Street job and start Amazon.com.
In the interview, Bezos calls this a “regret minimization framework.” It’s a brilliant use of perspective to help make correct decisions: