
In "Loonshots," Safi Bahcall reveals why groundbreaking ideas fail and how structural changes - not culture - nurture innovation. Nobel laureate-endorsed and praised by Richard Preston, it explains the "phase transitions" that transformed industries and won wars, including the radar that defeated Nazis.
Siente el libro a través de la voz del autor
Convierte el conocimiento en ideas atractivas y llenas de ejemplos
Captura ideas clave en un instante para un aprendizaje rápido
Disfruta el libro de una manera divertida y atractiva
In 2003, cancer researcher Richard Miller developed a drug that pharmaceutical giants dismissed as dangerous lunacy - a "piranha molecule" that would never let go of its target. Despite widespread ridicule and financial struggles, Miller persisted. Years later, his drug ibrutinib produced response rates nearly ten times higher than standard therapy, leading to FDA approval and a $21 billion acquisition by one of the same pharma giants that had mocked him. This pattern repeats throughout history. Revolutionary ideas often face brutal rejection before changing the world. Why? The mystery lies in how organizations behave, not individuals. Nokia rejected engineers' proposals for an internet-ready touchscreen phone with an app store - only to watch Apple introduce exactly these features in the iPhone three years later, leading to Nokia's catastrophic $250 billion decline. The science behind this phenomenon parallels phase transitions in physics. Just as water molecules behave differently as liquid versus solid, people can act like risk-taking entrepreneurs in startups but project-killing conservatives in large companies. Nobel laureate Phil Anderson captured this with "more is different" - the whole becomes not just more than but fundamentally different from the sum of its parts. What makes organizations suddenly stop innovating? Two competing forces: stake and rank. In small groups, everyone's stake in outcomes is high while perks of rank are minimal. As organizations grow, stakes decrease while rank perks increase. When these forces cross, the system snaps and begins rejecting "loonshots" - ideas that seem crazy but might change everything.
Desglosa las ideas clave de Loonshots en puntos fáciles de entender para comprender cómo los equipos innovadores crean, colaboran y crecen.
Destila Loonshots en pistas de memoria rápidas que resaltan los principios clave de franqueza, trabajo en equipo y resiliencia creativa.

Experimenta Loonshots a través de narraciones vívidas que convierten las lecciones de innovación en momentos que recordarás y aplicarás.
Pregunta lo que quieras, elige la voz y co-crea ideas que realmente resuenen contigo.

Creado por exalumnos de la Universidad de Columbia en San Francisco
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Creado por exalumnos de la Universidad de Columbia en San Francisco

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