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Business

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Geopolitics

Super Cities №262—What to Learn from Magic and Bird

I even hated him more because I knew he could beat me.

Geopolitics

Super Cities №211—Where the 21st Century is Happening

Cities combine up-and-to-the-right growth, intractable day-to-day problems, and shifting lines of authority between the public and private sectors.

Mental Models

Super Cities №210— The Man Behind American Productivity

Before there was Tim Ferriss, there was Frederick Winslow Taylor.

History

Super Cities №207 — What We Can Learn from Railroads

In 1891, the Pennsylvania Railroad had more workers than the American Army, Navy, and Marines combined. Penn Railroad's 110,000 employees were charged with building and operating a sprawling transportation system that started at the Atlantic Ocean and ended in St. Louis. Penn's geographical and operational sprawl was only part

Business

Super Cities №203—Siemens $83 Billion Bet on Cities

Why, after so long and so much success, would Siemens transform its business? The answer is, in one word, cities.

Business

Super Cities №202—Cities Slow-Fast Future

Cities are mostly incremental, but occasionally, there are dramatic changes to the places we live and work.

Business

Super Cities №199—The Two Forms of American Capitalism

Modern America has two forms of capitalism that unnaturally co-exist.

Amazon

Super Cities №193 — How To Scale A Giant

You see, to Amazon HR, current and future employees are not teammates. They are customers.

Business

Super Cities №190 — Tough Love, Chicago-Style

RXBAR had a mega-exit, but they didn’t rely on any silly startup gimmicks. No “lean” BS and no “hacking.”

Business

Super Cities №182 – Boring Business is Beautiful

The startup world is extreme. Very few people are successful startup entrepreneurs, but an entire industry has cropped up with a distinctly obnoxious range of language, rituals, and social media-fueled nonsense.

Business

Super Cities №160 — Make Business Boring Again

One of the problems with the Silicon Valley-style startup culture is the misguided belief that innovation must be sexy.

Business

Super Cities №161 — To Innovate, Forget Business. Study History.

To understand the ride-sharing market, an entrepreneur should become an expert on the history of city-based transportation, which would provide her with a deep appreciation and respect for the many challenges of moving people around cities.

Business

Super Cities №157 — The Slow Death of American Innovation

Although the cost and logistical complexity of starting a technology-powered business have plummeted, the number of Americans starting news ones has collapsed.

Business

Super Cities №151 — Hypothesis About Freaks

American espionage in World War II was carried out by freaks.

Innovation

Super Cities №146 — Inspired Capitalism on Sesame Street

Caroll Spinney is a capitalist hero.

Business

Super Cities №141 — Case study: The Ethics of Innovation

Juul’s mission is “to improve the lives of the world’s one billion adult smokers” by helping them “move to reduced risk products.”

History

Super Cities №138 — The Value of Great Information

JP Morgan would not have been able to steer European investments or consolidate a giant industry without valuable, unique information.

Business

Super Cities №136 — Why You Should Think In Loops

When designed correctly, loops can create immense value for people within its gravitational pull.

Business

Super Cities №130 — The Great Economic-Political Unbundling

One of the most interesting trends today is the great unbundling of business and politics.

Startup

Super Cities №125 - Cash Flow is King

The Good Life is a cash flow positive life.

Business

Super Cities №121 - Amazon, Ownership, and B-School Fails

After twenty years, Amazon is on its way to becoming a trillion dollar company. Its story is a lesson in the simple-yet-revolutionary power of ownership.

Business

Super Cities №119 - Balance of Power in Business

Balance of Power is a key concept in global affairs and nature — and also in the innovation economy.

Amazon

Super Cities №117 - A Signal Through All The Noise

There is one way to beat the market consistently: deliver real, ever-growing value to your customer (or “user”). It’s that simple.

Mental Models

Super Cities №111 - Overhauling the Input-Outcome Cycle

Outcome-focused work is deliberate. It is direct. It is controlled. And it is transformational.

Business

Super Cities №96 - Should Leaders Apologize?

Each leader has her style. Some are consensus builders, while others are benign dictators.