Great Quotes Pt. 4: Great Problem Solving

Elon Musk has a magic secret process to simplify any problem. Here it is: ...

Here is a quote to guide you through decision-making and the vast data & AI space from people way smarter than me:

it’s very difficult to do it. I have this very basic first principles algorithm that I run kind of as a mantra,

[1.] which is to first question the requirements, make the requirements less dumb. The requirements are always dumb to some degree.[…] So, try to make the question the least wrong possible. That’s what question the requirements means. […]

[2.] try to delete whatever the step is, the part or the process step. It sounds very obvious, but people often forget to try deleting it entirely. […]

[3.] Yeah, some of the things that we delete, we’re going to put back in. […]

[4.] There’s a step four as well, which is any given thing can be sped up. However fast you think it can be done, whatever the speed it’s being done, it can be done faster. […] Speeding up something that shouldn’t exist is absurd. […]

[5.] And then, the fifth thing is to automate it.” - Elon Musk

This is Elon Musk’s algorithm for simplification. Great problem solvers simplify until there’s nothing left but the bare essence.

Then, they focus all their energy on it.

It’s the difference between getting 10 people to lift ten different cars and getting 10 people to lift the same car.

There are thresholds, and focus matters. The result between solving a simplified problem and a non-simplified problem isn’t just 1x or 2x. It might be 10x or even 100%.

Don’t solve problems you can simplify first. Ask the right question, delete parts, delete until you need to add things back in, sped things up, automate them and only then should you solve the remaining core problem.