First-Principles Thinking
1. inversion bait
2. regarded lens
3. root-cause spelunking
4. framebreak
what’s something everyone in this field assumes is true... that might actually be false?
2. regarded lens
what would a complete idiot ask about this? what would a five-year-old ask?
3. root-cause spelunking
what’s the real problem here? if we solved this, what deeper issue would still remain?
4. framebreak
if this entire situation were a... See more
answers are now insanely cheap

People talk about first-principles thinking, but most people don't really know what it is or how to apply it.
In this week's essay, I do my best to explain it, give you a practical set of steps for applying it in your work, and share a ton of examples of product leaders using it, including @gdb @MrBeast @annewoj23... See more
Return to first principles and act quickly on your new conclusions.
It’s very easy to take the world as it is, as opposed to envisioning it as you want it to be. For example, when re-designing a feature, one approach is to take what you have, and imagine small changes that will solve the problems with the feature. Instead, it’s often instructive
... See more