Think Like Musk

Summary

First ?r?n???l?? th?nk?ng, wh??h ?? ??m?t?m?? called r????n?ng fr?m f?r?t principles, ?? one of th? m??t effective ?tr?t?g??? ??u can ?m?l?? f?r breaking down complicated ?r?bl?m? ?nd generating ?r?g?n?l solutions. It ?l?? might be the single-best ???r???h t? learn h?w to think f?r yourself.  The f?r?t ?r?n???l?? ???r???h h?? b??n u??d by m?n? great thinkers, including inventor J?h?nn?? Gutenberg, m?l?t?r? ?tr?t?g??t J?hn B??d, ?nd th? ?n???nt philosopher Aristotle; but n? ?n? embodies the philosophy of f?r?t ?r?n???l?? thinking more ?ff??t?v?l? th?n the entrepreneur El?n Musk.  In 2002, Mu?k began h?? ?u??t t? ??nd th? first rocket to M?r? - ?n ?d?? that w?uld eventually become th? aerospace ??m??n?, S????X.  H? r?n ?nt? a m?j?r ?h?ll?ng? r?ght off th? b?t. Aft?r visiting a numb?r of aerospace m?nuf??tur?r? around the world, Mu?k discovered th? ???t ?f ?ur?h???ng a rocket w?? ??tr?n?m???l - u? t? $65 m?ll??n. G?v?n th? high ?r???, h? began to r?th?nk th? problem.  “I t?nd t? approach th?ng? from a ?h????? framework,” Mu?k ???d in ?n ?nt?rv??w. “Physics teaches you t? reason from f?r?t principles rather than by ?n?l?g?. S? I said, ?k??, let’s look at th? f?r?t ?r?n???l??. Wh?t ?? a r??k?t m?d? ?f? Aerospace-grade ?lum?num alloys, ?lu? ??m? t?t?n?um, copper, and ??rb?n f?b?r. Th?n I ??k?d, what is th? v?lu? ?f those materials on th? commodity market? It turned ?ut that th? m?t?r??l cost ?f a rocket w?? around tw? percent ?f the t?????l ?r???.”  In?t??d ?f buying a finished r??k?t f?r tens of m?ll??n? of dollars, Musk d???d?d t? ?r??t? h?? ?wn ??m??n?, ?ur?h??? th? r?w materials f?r ?h???, ?nd build th? r??k?t? h?m??lf. SpaceX was born.  W?th?n a f?w ???r?, S????X h?d ?ut the price of launching a rocket n??rl? tenfold wh?l? ?t?ll making a ?r?f?t. Mu?k u??d f?r?t ?r?n???l?? thinking t? br??k th? ??tu?t??n d?wn t? th? fund?m?nt?l?, b????? the h?gh prices of the aerospace ?ndu?tr?, and ?r??t? a more effective ??lut??n.  F?r?t principles th?nk?ng ?? th? ??t of b??l?ng a ?r????? d?wn to the fundamental ??rt? that ??u kn?w are true and bu?ld?ng up from th?r?. 

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