Chauffeur Knowledge

After winning his Nobel Prize, Max Planck went on a tour, giving lectures at universities and institutions around the country. His chauffeur, after having heard Planck practice⁠⁠ and deliver the talk so many times, had the entire thing memorized.

He jokingly asked Planck if he could deliver it at the final lecture. Surprisingly, the physicist agreed.

The chauffeur put on a jacket and tie and proceeded to deliver a perfect lecture, word for word, just as Max Planck would have done. But at the end of the talk, a simple follow-up question from the audience stumped him.

Quick on his feet, the chauffeur replied, "That question is so easy, I’ll let my chauffeur answer it," and pointed to Planck, who was wearing the chauffeur hat in the back of the crowd.

While the story is likely dramatized, it brings to life an important lesson:

There are two types of knowledge:

Real Knowledge
Chauffeur Knowledge

Real Knowledge has depth. It is flexible and dynamic. It can be leveraged in different ways, because the topic is truly understood, not just memorized. It is only acquired through hours and hours of working on a specific craft.

Chauffeur Knowledge is the opposite. It's the amount of knowledge required to sound smart at a cocktail party or pass an easy exam, but it fails when put under any degree of scrutiny.

There’s a big difference between truly knowing something and just sounding smart talking about it.

My concern with AI is that as we outsource more and more of our general thinking to the models, all Real Knowledge will atrophy—we will become defined by Chauffeur Knowledge.

A lot of problems in the world are the result of people with Chauffeur Knowledge masquerading as people with Real Knowledge.

I think AI is going to meaningfully accelerate that trend…

often leads me to make silly mistakes. I take on things I shouldn’t have. I get involved in new projects that aren’t the main thing. I go after short-term wins.

I have a new mantra that helps me fight back:

No unforced errors.

In the 1999 tennis book, Extraordinary Tennis for the Ordinary Tennis Player, author Simon Ramo broke down the difference between amateur and professional tennis:

Amateur tennis is a Loser's Game: Most points are lost on unforced errors. You win by avoiding errors.
Professional tennis is a Winner's Game: Most points are won on great shots. You win by hitting excellent shots.

Here's an important truth: Most games in life are Loser's Games. You don't get paid for hitting complex, magnificent shots. You get paid for consistently avoiding unforced errors.

For being reliable. For figuring it out. For showing up and doing what you say you're going to do.

So, whenever I find myself being pulled towards new and complex things, I repeat my mantra:

No unforced errors.

In most games in life, the sum of consistent, ordinary performances adds up to something extraordinary.

5. It’s probably still early.

The graveyard is full of people who wished they had taken action on that thing they wanted to do. “It’s too late” has killed more dreams than a lack of talent or intelligence ever will.

This is underrated life advice:

It’s never too late.

You can wake up one day and choose to see things differently. You can change. You can completely reinvent your life. Too late is an internal fantasy, not an external reality.

Every time you think it’s too late, it’s probably still early.

P.S. I'm thinking about a deep dive on The Myth of Too Late and my guide to reinvention at any age. If you'd be interested in reading that piece, reply YES to this email.

I hope you found a few of these as interesting as I did. I’d bet several will stick with you long after you finish reading.

Wrestle with them. Apply your own lens. Share them with someone you love.

And as always, stay curious, friends!

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