J. Nathan Matias 🦣

One deeply counterproductive myth of the tech industry is the idea of "viral" growth, which depends on:
- building a large, un-diverse user-base rapidly
- getting those people to test your product and hype it
- developing products in response to the most active users

In the Voltage Effect, John List explains the science of why the quest for fast online growth actually harms businesses. I also think it also sets people up to become Musk-like leaders in the long term

https://www.thevoltageeffect.com/the-book

The Voltage Effect: John A. List

Translating an idea into widespread impact, says University of Chicago economist John A. List, depends on one thing only: whether it can achieve “high voltage”—the ability to be replicated at scale.

Apr 14, 2023 at 5:01pmWeb
Show threadJ. Nathan Matias 🦣Apr 14, 2023
Generative AI, like cryptocurrency before it, is also being bet on this kind of viral growth among monocultures, and I really worry about the consequences.