Zero to One – Book PDF English

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summary of Zero to One

It’s not about competing; it’s about making monopolies by doing things that no one else is doing.

7 Surprising Rules for New Businesses

1. From 0 to 1 is better than from 1 to N

0 to 1: Create something new, like SpaceX.

1 to N: Copy ideas that are already out there, like another app for food delivery.

“Vertical progress (technology) is better than horizontal progress (globalization).”

2. Competition is for losers. Monopolies do well by solving problems that no one else can (Google in search, Tesla in EVs).

“Competition makes us better” is a lie. Truth: It hurts profits.

3. Create a monopoly the right way

Features:

Proprietary tech (ten times better)

Network effects, like those on Facebook

Economies of scale, like Amazon

Branding (like Apple)

4. The Rules of the Power Law

Most of the value comes from a few companies (investors have to bet big on outliers).

For example, Facebook made more money than all the other startups in 2005.

5. There are secrets

Most people believe that they have solved all major problems.

Truth: There are opportunities all around us that we don’t know about (for example, Airbnb found space-sharing).

6. Founders Are Strange (And That’s a Good Thing)

Strong beliefs do not equal agreement (Elon Musk’s plan for Mars seemed crazy).

Tip for hiring: Don’t search for people who fit in with your culture; search for people who are different but work well together.

7. The Future Isn’t Automatically Optimistic: “The future will be better.”

“We will build X to improve it” is a definite statement.

Thiel’s List of Things to Do Before Starting a Business

Can you make tech that is a big step forward, not just a small one?

Is now the right time to begin?

Will you own a market for more than 10 years?

Do you have the right people on your team?

While this is a debatable point, indeed, college is often overrated unless one is acquiring hard skills.

“Disruption” is used too much (most disruptors fail; monopolists win).

Great for: Business owners who are tired of the same old thing

Innovators who are working on tough problems

Anyone who has a different idea

Do This Now:

Write down one “secret” that you think most people don’t know about.

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