First Principles Thinking

Absolutely, and one could argue it's one of its most crucial roles. Let me explain with a simple analogy; you might find it easier to understand.

Haha, that's an interesting question. Let me try to share my thoughts in plain language. When we were in school, teachers often used to say: "Memorize this definition; it will be on the exam.

This is an excellent question, and it's precisely the key to learning mathematics, or any science for that matter. Many people think mathematics is a game for geniuses, but in large part, it's just a ...

To understand this problem, we need to strip down complex business models to see what's at their core. This is what's known as first principles thinking.

You can understand it that way, and this perspective is very accurate. Let's use a simple, down-to-earth analogy. Imagine you're opening the largest marketplace in the country.

Of course. Think about it: fifteen or twenty years ago, if you wanted to buy something online from a seller in another city, and neither of you knew each other, what would you do? Would you transfer t...

To put it simply, this is actually very easy to understand. Imagine this: twenty years ago, if you were asked to send money to someone you only knew online and had never met, to buy something you'd ne...

This is actually quite easy to understand; let's use an analogy. Imagine Amazon, in its early days, as a giant online Walmart. To keep this "Walmart" operating 24/7 and handle the massive traffic spik...

This is an interesting question, let's talk about it. You can actually understand this whole thing with a simple analogy. Imagine you're a top chef who opened a wildly popular online pizza shop.

This isn't complicated; let's unpack it. First, what are "First Principles"? Simply put, they are the "root" of all your decisions. No matter what new situation or difficult choice you face, you retur...

回到2007年，我们抛开所有“事后诸葛亮”的看法，只从最根本的逻辑，也就是“第一性原理”出发，来分析iPhone成功的可能性，其实脉络会非常清晰。 这事儿得从当时人们最本质的需求和当时手机的“蠢样”说起。 第一，先看屏幕和键盘的根本矛盾。 2007年，市面上最牛的手机是什么？诺基亚、摩托罗拉、黑莓。它们的共同点是：手机正面超过一半的面积，都被一块“死”的物理键盘占据了。

Okay, let's talk about this topic. To put it plainly, "First Principles" might sound profound, but it's essentially a way of thinking that involves "getting to the root of things.

Okay, let's talk about this. To understand Starlink, you first need to understand Elon Musk himself. The ultimate goal of all his companies, as he himself has stated, is for humanity to become a "mult...

Okay, let's talk about this topic. Imagine that before Elon Musk, the general approach to building rockets was basically "copying a template." NASA would say a rocket should look like this, use these ...

Alright, let's talk about this. This is quite an interesting question. The idea of rocket recovery has been around for a long time, but why has it only been realized recently? It's because the "three ...

Okay, let me give you an analogy that I guarantee you'll understand. Imagine traditional aerospace companies are like top Michelin chefs. When they cook (build rockets), they use only the finest, pre-...

Okay, let's talk about this topic. Imagine if you were Elon Musk over a decade ago, wanting to sell electric cars. You'd face a fundamental question: Why would anyone buy your car? At the time, people...

Okay, let's talk about this. To think about this using "first principles," we need to strip away all complex business models and historical baggage, and return to the most primitive, fundamental quest...

这个问题很有意思，其实核心就一句话：传统车厂是用“类比”思维，而特斯拉是用“第一性原理”思维。 我试着用大白话给你解释一下。 传统车厂的“类-比-思-维” 你想想，在特斯拉出来之前，传统车厂是怎么看电动车的？ 他们会拿电动车和自己最熟悉的燃油车做“类比”： “发动机”太贵了：他们一看，哦，电动车不用发动机，改用电池和电机。

Imagine you're suddenly thrown onto an unfamiliar desert island. All your previous plans, the map you brought (let's say a city map), are now useless.