Kevin Kelly

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Adopt a planetary platform mindset

  Strategy

  Entrepreneurs should view individual gadgets not as standalone products, but as gateways to a single, global computing platform.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < Dimensions of the One Machine  (opens in a new tab)

• Embed values like parenting

  Leadership

  Think of building long-term systems like raising children. Success comes from transmitting ethical values that guide behavior even when direct control is impossible.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < Incorruptible Technologies  (opens in a new tab)

• Monitor relative costs of infrastructure

  Strategy

  A business owner should notice when the cost of maintaining or storing a product exceeds the cost of the product itself, as this signals a major economic shift.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < Machine Fecundity  (opens in a new tab)

• Distinguish change speed and importance

  Strategy

  One should categorize changes into fast but trivial, slow but important, and fast and important to better prepare for the future.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Optimism is a necessary ingredient for innovation. What will renew it?”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Master the art of pithy observation

  Writing

  Effective communication involves distilling complex experiences into brief, impactful, and insightful reports.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < David Byrne; From Bauhaus to Yow-howz!  (opens in a new tab)

• Combine art with scientific rigor

  Creativity

  High-quality creative work often results from meticulous measurement and a disciplined, almost monkish dedication to detail.

  Supporting quotes

  • “One clever way to study biology is to make virtual 3D models of living creatures.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Incentivize Consumption Not Just Purchase

  Marketing

  A business should care whether customers actually use the product, as usage creates more value than a dormant sale.

  Supporting quotes

  • “As an author I know how many of my purchased books are unread. But while it is nice that people buy books, I feel a failure as an author if the bought (or borrowed) books are not read.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Question Current Vocabulary

  Mindset

  Recognize that current terms often fail to capture the true scale or nature of emerging shifts, like peer-to-peer networks.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Well, one lesson we can take from the web today is that any possible behavior is already happening somewhere at least once in the world.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Adapt control as systems mature

  Product

  The amount of structure and expert verification should increase as a project or platform grows and requires more reliability.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The real art of business and organizations in the network economy will not be in harnessing the crowd of "everybody" (simple!) but in finding the appropriate hybrid mix of bottom and top for each niche, at the right time.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Ideas Outlast Organizations

  Failure

  Even if a specific venture or non-profit fails, the core idea can succeed by becoming a shared goal for an entire industry.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < A Web Page For Every Species  (opens in a new tab)

• Identify the Third Way

  Strategy

  Look for opportunities in the space between existing categories, such as between private and public or employee and contractor.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < The Third Way  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid Outdated Frameworks

  Decisions

  Do not force new technologies or business models into old legal or social categories that do not fit their unique attributes.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < The Third Way  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid the Uncanny Perfection

  Creativity

  Absolute perfection in synthetic or digital creations often signals to the audience that the work is fake or robotic.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < More Wubble  (opens in a new tab)

• Build Your Own Audience First

  Marketing

  Modern publishers lack direct contact with readers, so they expect creators to bring their own engaged following to the table.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Many of the key decisions in publishing today come down to whether you own your audience or not.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Use Advances as Leverage

  Negotiation

  A high advance forces a publisher to invest more in marketing and sales because they have more financial risk at stake.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Many of the key decisions in publishing today come down to whether you own your audience or not.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Own the customer relationship

  Customers

  The most valuable asset for a creator is a direct line of communication with fans, such as an email list, rather than relying on a third-party platform.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Everything I Know about Self-Publishing  (opens in a new tab)

• Bring your own audience

  Marketing

  Do not rely on platforms like Kickstarter or Amazon to find customers; build a loyal following independently before launching on these platforms.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Because you can print as few as one copy of a book, I use these on-demand print services to manufacture prototype versions of a book to check for its sizing and feel.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Document Your Experiments

  Learning

  Trying something new is only half the battle; documenting and sharing the results creates value for others and clarifies one's own learning.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source < Weekly Links, 10/20/2023  (opens in a new tab)

• Value Audacious Living Experiments

  Mindset

  Founders should value unconventional social experiments that test how people can live or work together in new ways.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source < Weekly Links, 10/20/2023  (opens in a new tab)

• Efficiency Through Precision

  Technology

  Future progress depends on using small amounts of energy precisely through automation rather than burning it in bulk.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source < Trickles of Energy  (opens in a new tab)