Essay · ~6 min read (relevant section)

2015 Letter to Shareholders (Two-Way Doors)

Jeff Bezos · Amazon shareholder letter (Jeff Bezos) Free Intermediate

Bezos separates decisions into one way doors you cannot undo and two way doors you can walk back through. Deciding to build a scrappy first version is almost always a two way door, so it does not need endless research to de risk it. This one page reframes the fear that keeps you researching as usually unfounded.

  • Most early decisions are reversible, so make them fast
  • Reserve slow careful analysis for the truly irreversible calls
  • Treating reversible choices as high stakes causes needless delay
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The question it answers

  1. How do I know when to stop researching an idea and just start building?

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