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The Geek Way
Book

The Geek Way

The Radical Mindset that Drives Extraordinary Results

Little, Brown US, 2023 plus...

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Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Scientific
  • Visionary
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Industrial-era giants like Sears, Kodak, and Polaroid all filed for bankruptcy in the 21st century, while Amazon, Netflix, and HubSpot flourished. In The Geek Way, MIT research scientist Andrew McAfee explores the reasons behind these contrasting outcomes. Drawing from cultural evolution and applying its principles to modern business, McAfee argues that group norms shape behavior more than individual beliefs, and that “geek norms” drive success: “science, ownership, speed, and openness.” While it is challenging to adopt these norms, they are essential to thriving in an ever-changing world.

Summary

The Geek Way is the best way to run a modern business.

Many once-dominant companies struggled in the 21st century. Household names such as Sears, Kodak, Polaroid, and RadioShack declared bankruptcy. Meanwhile, General Electric — a company that helped calculate the original Dow Jones Industrial Average — suffered de-listing from the Dow in 2018 for poor performance. Clinging to a top-down, bureaucratic way of running a company prevented these firms from keeping pace with the rate of change and innovation modern business requires.

By contrast, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and others thrived by adopting a different approach: the Geek Way. The Geek Way is not a technical solution, like a new app; it’s a cultural solution to the problem of how to inspire people and groups to pursue goals collaboratively in a fast-paced world. Instead of prioritizing credentials and hierarchies and attempting to form perfect plans, the Geek Way favors frequent iteration, helpfulness, and action. It embraces debate, tolerates failure, and allows people to challenge the thinking of higher-ups.

This approach...

About the Author

MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy co-founder Andrew McAfee is the MIT Sloan School of Management’s principal research scientist.


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