The Voltage Effect by John A. List Summary
Overview of The Voltage Effect
Why do brilliant ideas often fail when scaled up? In "The Voltage Effect," economist John A. List reveals the science behind successful scaling, praised by Freakonomics' Steven Levitt as "a master class in human irrationality" and Angela Duckworth as "the best book on scaling ever."
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核心要点
The Voltage Paradox: Why Great Ideas Often Fail at Scale
Why do so many brilliant innovations fizzle when expanding? For every Netflix or iPhone that revolutionizes an industry, countless promising concepts collapse under the weight of growth. This phenomenon-what economist John List calls "the voltage effect"-explains why scaling breaks most ideas, regardless of their initial promise. My journey into scaling science began unexpectedly while studying baseball card markets as an undergraduate. This early fieldwork taught me to see the world as my laboratory-a perspective that would later take me from Chicago preschools to the White House, and eventually to rideshare giants Uber and Lyft. Along the way, I discovered that most ideas lose voltage when scaled, not randomly, but following predictable patterns. Some ideas appear successful in small tests but contain fatal flaws that only emerge at scale. Others work brilliantly in controlled environments but fail when confronting real-world complexity. The most heartbreaking are those that genuinely work but collapse under implementation challenges or runaway costs. The stakes couldn't be higher. From climate change to educational inequality, our most pressing problems require solutions that work at scale. Yet most organizations approach scaling with dangerous naivety, assuming what works small will naturally work large-a fundamental misunderstanding that wastes billions while truly scalable ideas languish unrecognized.
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The Economics of Scale: When Costs Kill Great Ideas
The Art of Quitting: Knowing When to Let Go
快速摘要模式 - 10分钟阅读或收听《The Voltage Effect》摘要
将《The Voltage Effect》的核心观点拆解为易于理解的要点，了解创新团队如何创造、协作和成长。
闪卡模式 - 《The Voltage Effect》精华：8条核心见解
将《The Voltage Effect》提炼为快速记忆要点，突出坦诚、团队合作和创造力的关键原则。
趣味模式 - 《The Voltage Effect》的启示 - 23分钟故事
通过生动的故事体验《The Voltage Effect》，将创新经验转化为令人难忘且可应用的精彩时刻。
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"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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