Framework
First Principles Thinking
Break a problem down to the things you know are actually true, then reason back up — instead of reasoning by analogy from what everyone else does.
Reach for this when received wisdom is boxing you in — "this is just how it's done", "it costs what it costs" — or when a decision feels stuck because you're copying a template that may not fit your company.
Name the assumption
What are you taking as given? ("We have to hire a senior sales leader now.")
Break it down
Strip away convention. What is actually true underneath, independent of how others do it?
Rebuild from the truths
Reason up from the facts alone. What would you do if no one had ever solved this before?
The classic example: pricing batteries from raw materials rather than the market rate. Reasoning by analogy said "expensive"; reasoning from first principles said "far cheaper than everyone assumes."
Source / credit
Rooted in Aristotle; popularised in startups by Elon Musk. Adapted for Outstride OS
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