Why does Naval say, "Amplify your unique knowledge with the internet"?

Okay, let's discuss this classic quote from Naval.

Breaking down the quote, it really consists of two parts: "Specific Knowledge" and "Scale with the Internet".

Imagine in the era before the internet, a craftsman, like a dough sculptor. His craft was his "specific knowledge." How did he make money? He could only set up a stall in his village or the town market. In a single day, at most a few hundred people would see his craftsmanship. His influence and income were rigidly constrained by his geographical location and physical stamina.

This is the way Naval describes how we used to earn a living.

Now, put these two key parts into today's context, and you'll grasp Naval's insight.

Part 1: What is "Specific Knowledge"?

This sounds abstract, but it's actually very simple to understand. It is not the knowledge you memorize by rote in school, nor is it a skill you can pick up by just reading a few books or taking a few classes.

"Specific knowledge" is the unique combination of your personal experiences, passions, and skills.

It has several characteristics:

Innate Curiosity: You have a natural passion and curiosity for it. Researching this thing doesn't tire you out; instead, it excites you. What others see as work feels like play to you.
Cannot Be Systematically Taught: There’s no textbook titled "How to Be You." For example, a programmer who is also obsessed with cats can share "How to Code an Automatic Feeder for Your Cat." This is their specific knowledge. A pure programmer or a pure cat blogger alone wouldn’t quite be able to replicate that specific angle as effectively.
Gained Through Practice: It’s honed from long-term "play," from experience accumulated while solving problems you encounter yourself.

Examples:

You're a designer and also a passionate hiker. Your specific knowledge might be "How to Design Logos for Outdoor Brands that are Both Aesthetic and Practical."
You're an accountant, but you're particularly skilled at using Excel to create personal financial plans for friends. Your specific knowledge is "Simple Excel Money Management for Average Families."
You love gaming, but also researching history. Your specific knowledge might be "Understanding Renaissance Italian Society Through Assassin's Creed."

See? It's the A + B = C model, and that C is your unique treasure.

Part 2: Why "Scale with the Internet"?

This part is the essence of the quote and represents the massive opportunity of our era. The internet is the ultimate "Leverage" in Naval's terms.

Going back to the dough sculptor. If he lived today:

He could make a short video showing how he sculpts a lifelike Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) in one minute. That video could be seen by 1 million people.
He could host a live stream, interact with fans nationwide in real-time, answer their questions, and sell his freshly sculpted pieces on the spot.
He could create an online course teaching "Dough Art from Scratch," which could be sold repeatedly. People would buy it even while he’s asleep.

See what the internet does?

Smashed Geographic Limits: His "stall" expanded from a small marketplace to the whole world.
Broke Time Constraints: His content (videos, articles, courses) can "work" for him 24/7, 365 days a year.
Almost Zero Marginal Cost: Sculpting one figurine takes him 10 minutes, but the cost of his video being watched by 1 person or by 1 million people is practically zero.

This is "scaling." The internet transforms your "specific knowledge" from a piece of physical labor into an asset that can be replicated infinitely.

Summarizing: What does this quote tell us?

Naval is essentially showing us a clear path to creating wealth and influence in the modern world:

Step 1: Look Within – Find Your "Specific Knowledge." Stop blindly chasing trends. Ask yourself:

"What have I been innately curious about since childhood?"
"What questions do friends most often ask me for advice on?"
"What do I do that doesn't feel like work, that I'd even do for free?"

Step 2: Share Outward – Amplify it Using the Internet. Don't be afraid you know too little, or that no one will see it.

Write articles – post them on Substack or Zhihu.
Make videos – upload them to Bilibili or Douyin/TikTok.
Record podcasts.
Continuously discuss your passions on social media.

By consistently sharing, the internet will help you find people who resonate with your frequency ("同频共振的人"). Gradually, your personal brand is built, and trust follows. When trust is sufficient, opportunities (jobs, collaborations, projects) will naturally come your way.

Therefore, Naval's quote is fundamentally saying: Stop trading your time for income in a linear, one-off way. Instead, build a system that allows your uniqueness to work for you continuously and at scale.