Founders × Models
Intersection playbooks
Each playbook follows one idea across a founder, the mental model behind their choices, and the companies where it played out, so you can read the story and the principle side by side.
Buffett & Munger: circle of competence + inversion
How Berkshire applies inversion and staying inside the circle when allocating capital.
Elon Musk: first principles under extreme constraints
Rockets, batteries, and manufacturing—first principles vs analogy.
Jensen Huang & NVIDIA: leverage and compounding in silicon
CUDA bet, long time horizons, and platform economics.
Naval Ravikant: leverage (systems) and specific knowledge
Wealth creation as coded leverage and accountability.
Airbnb: two-sided markets + trust
Liquidity, reputation, and global scale in a marketplace.
Rolex: exclusivity + brand as moat
Luxury supply control and decades-long brand equity.
Second-order thinking + Eisenhower matrix
Prioritize what matters and simulate consequences before you commit.
Survivorship bias + base rates
Why success stories mislead—and how to seek the full sample.
Starbucks: habit + retail density
How frequency, loyalty, and real estate reinforce each other.
Calm: subscription + activation energy
Lowering friction to start habits; monetizing attention calmly.
McKinsey: knowledge leverage + prestige
Selling expertise at scale; apprenticeship and hierarchy.
Nespresso: razor-and-blade in the kitchen
Capsule economics under Nestlé.