In contrast to the sprint to read every book on Kindle, Charlie Munger once said: “Take a simple idea and take it seriously.” Many of the most successful people have found their edge by putting their faith in one big idea. They’ve committed to the idea, and studied it so much that its implications become second nature.
Rich Barton’s Big Idea: Power to the People
Rich Barton founded three billion-dollar companies: Expedia, Zillow, and Glassdoor
- All three used the internet to remove the information asymmetry between establishment gatekeepers and ordinary consumers
- Expedia publicized the prices for flights and hotels that were once only available to travel agents
- Glassdoor gave people honest reviews about the experience of working at a company that were more honest than what recruiters or companies provided
- Data network effects kicked in once they gathered a critical mass of information
My One Big Idea
If we are destined to follow the compass of our worldview, we should design it deliberately
- We should look for a panoramic framework to interpret the world through
- For now, I’ve sunk my teeth into the belief that people systematically under-estimate the scale and interconnectedness of the Internet
Richard Mosse’s Big Idea: Photograph the Invisible
Using cameras to highlight aspects of the world that are beyond the grasp of the naked eye is his central idea: use photographs to illuminate the invisible.
- In his Incoming exhibit, Mosse captured the experience of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East using military-grade thermal detection cameras.
The Reality You Cannot See
When you look at the world through the lens of your One Big Idea, you see opportunities others are blind to.
- Like the electromagnetic light spectrum, the world is more complex than we see
- Study a panoramic idea for long enough and you’ll start to see its effects everywhere
