Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c50IR // #c50Synthesis

We will try to convince you that because of recent technological changes, companies need to rethink the balance between minds and machines, between products and platforms, and between the core and the crowd. The second element in each pair has become much more capable and more powerful just within the past few years, so it needs to be considered with fresh eyes.

— In our words · Source: Machine, Platform, Crowd (Andrew McAfee & Erik Brynjolfsson)

[Use when]

When you're deciding where the next dollar of investment goes: mind or machine, product or platform, core or crowd.

[Why it matters]

The book's entire thesis in one paragraph: nothing is obsolete, but the balance point in all three pairs has moved — and most companies are still calibrated to the old one.

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