Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries
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- Create Date：2021-11-09 09:54:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Safi Bahcall
- ISBN：1250225612
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Summary
"This book has everything: new ideas， bold insights， entertaining history and convincing analysis。 Not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand how ideas change the world。" --Daniel Kahneman， winner of the Nobel Prize and author of Thinking， Fast and Slow
What do James Bond and Lipitor have in common？ Why do traffic jams appear out of nowhere on highways？ What can we learn about innovation from a glass of water？ In Loonshots， physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about nurturing radical breakthroughs。
Drawing on the science of phase transitions， Bahcall shows why teams， companies， or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them， just as flowing water will suddenly change into brittle ice。 Mountains of print have been written about culture。 Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control this transition， the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice。
Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forests to the hunt for terrorists online， and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings， Bahcall shows how this new kind of science helps us understand the behavior of companies and the fate of empires。 Loonshots distills these insights into lessons for creatives， entrepreneurs， and visionaries everywhere。
Over the past decade， researchers have been applying the tools and techniques of phase transitions to understand how birds flock， fish swim， brains work， people vote， criminals behave， ideas spread， diseases erupt， and ecosystems collapse。 If twentieth-century science was shaped by the search for fundamental laws， like quantum mechanics and gravity， the twenty-first will be shaped by this new kind of science。 Loonshots is the first to apply these tools to help all of us unlock our potential to create and nurture the crazy ideas that change the world。
What do James Bond and Lipitor have in common？ Why do traffic jams appear out of nowhere on highways？ What can we learn about innovation from a glass of water？ In Loonshots， physicist and entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about nurturing radical breakthroughs。
Drawing on the science of phase transitions， Bahcall shows why teams， companies， or any group with a mission will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them， just as flowing water will suddenly change into brittle ice。 Mountains of print have been written about culture。 Loonshots identifies the small shifts in structure that control this transition， the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice。
Using examples that range from the spread of fires in forests to the hunt for terrorists online， and stories of thieves and geniuses and kings， Bahcall shows how this new kind of science helps us understand the behavior of companies and the fate of empires。 Loonshots distills these insights into lessons for creatives， entrepreneurs， and visionaries everywhere。
Over the past decade， researchers have been applying the tools and techniques of phase transitions to understand how birds flock， fish swim， brains work， people vote， criminals behave， ideas spread， diseases erupt， and ecosystems collapse。 If twentieth-century science was shaped by the search for fundamental laws， like quantum mechanics and gravity， the twenty-first will be shaped by this new kind of science。 Loonshots is the first to apply these tools to help all of us unlock our potential to create and nurture the crazy ideas that change the world。
Reviews
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，
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Kris
，
I learned so much from this interesting read。
Zachary Carson
，
This was a fun little side read。 Bahcall dives into why crazy ideas often fall flat and what it takes to either revive them or sustain them from the beginning。 Basically， if a crazy idea （loonshot） can achieve 1） phase separation - the idea vs franchising 2） dynamic equilibrium - the exchange between the idea maker and franchiser and 3） critical mass - obtaining the people and resources to ignite the idea。。。My favorite part of the books was learning some of the history behind big ideas such as t This was a fun little side read。 Bahcall dives into why crazy ideas often fall flat and what it takes to either revive them or sustain them from the beginning。 Basically， if a crazy idea （loonshot） can achieve 1） phase separation - the idea vs franchising 2） dynamic equilibrium - the exchange between the idea maker and franchiser and 3） critical mass - obtaining the people and resources to ignite the idea。。。My favorite part of the books was learning some of the history behind big ideas such as the relationship between Steve Jobs， apple， and PIXAR。 Not to mention why Western Europe achieved global dominance instead of the far larger Chinese or Indian empires。 Check it out！ 。。。more
Aryan D
，
The book is awesome and useful to anyone who wants to know how ideas change the world， and also how to nurture them！ 🤯🤯🤯
Markko Karu
，
How and why does innovation happen？ This book is about creating conditions that allow companies and countries to strive， why it seldom happens and what to expect when bringing novelty to the world。 Having read loads of books on the topic， I enjoyed the authors' pragmatic point of view and case studies outside well-known industries。 How and why does innovation happen？ This book is about creating conditions that allow companies and countries to strive， why it seldom happens and what to expect when bringing novelty to the world。 Having read loads of books on the topic， I enjoyed the authors' pragmatic point of view and case studies outside well-known industries。 。。。more
Beth
，
Good flow to read， but upon reflection I struggled to get consistent theme。
Makmild
，
เป็นเล่มที่รวมศาสตร์การ manage และ ฟิสิกส์ เอาไว้ด้วยกันได้อย่างน่าประทับใจ อ่านง่าย （แม้เล่มจะหนา） และสนุก มีหลายเรื่องที่เป็นคำถามมาอย่างยาวนาน เช่น ทำไมบริษัทยักษ์ใหญ่ถึงไม่มีอินโนเวชัน แล้วทำไมบริษัทเล็กๆ มี แล้วบริษัทใหญ่ที่มีอินโนเวชั่นทำได้ไง คำตอบดาษดื่นอย่าง "วัฒนธรรมองค์กร" อาจจะไม่คำตอบเดียวที่เพียงพอ แต่ยังเป็นเรื่องของ "โครงสร้างระบบ" ที่มีการเปลี่ยนเฟสอีกด้วย ในหนังสือยกตัวอย่างเยอะแยะให้เราเข้าใจได้อย่างง่ายๆ ที่ชอบกว่าหนังสือ management ทั่วไปคือมีเรื่องฟิสิกส์เข้ามาเกี่ยวข้องนี่ เป็นเล่มที่รวมศาสตร์การ manage และ ฟิสิกส์ เอาไว้ด้วยกันได้อย่างน่าประทับใจ อ่านง่าย （แม้เล่มจะหนา） และสนุก มีหลายเรื่องที่เป็นคำถามมาอย่างยาวนาน เช่น ทำไมบริษัทยักษ์ใหญ่ถึงไม่มีอินโนเวชัน แล้วทำไมบริษัทเล็กๆ มี แล้วบริษัทใหญ่ที่มีอินโนเวชั่นทำได้ไง คำตอบดาษดื่นอย่าง "วัฒนธรรมองค์กร" อาจจะไม่คำตอบเดียวที่เพียงพอ แต่ยังเป็นเรื่องของ "โครงสร้างระบบ" ที่มีการเปลี่ยนเฟสอีกด้วย ในหนังสือยกตัวอย่างเยอะแยะให้เราเข้าใจได้อย่างง่ายๆ ที่ชอบกว่าหนังสือ management ทั่วไปคือมีเรื่องฟิสิกส์เข้ามาเกี่ยวข้องนี่แหละ （จริงๆ ก็แค่ช่วงนี้ชอบอ่านฟิสิกส์） เลยทำให้หนังสือสนุกมากขึ้น แต่ในส่วนของการนำไปปฏิบัติจริง คิดว่าเล่มนี้อาจจะสู้เล่มอื่นๆ ไม่ได้ เพราะเป็นเรื่องของคอนเซ็ปต์ซะเยอะ ส่วนในรายละเอียดเรื่องการจัดการคนและทักษะแบบบุชยังเป็นส่วนที่ต้องไปฝึกเอาเอง （หรือถ้าเป็นบริษัทก็ไปตามหาเอาเอง） 。。。more
Nick
，
This book discusses the concept of a loonshot， their term for a novel invention or innovation。 There's some good anecdotes in here， but not much data beyond that。 Moreover， this book fails to look for its own flaws。 It doesn't really look at cases where a structure fails to deliver， only promising that it'll be right around the corner。Despite this， there's plenty of good points that one can use to make moderate improvements to their team and company structure。 This book discusses the concept of a loonshot， their term for a novel invention or innovation。 There's some good anecdotes in here， but not much data beyond that。 Moreover， this book fails to look for its own flaws。 It doesn't really look at cases where a structure fails to deliver， only promising that it'll be right around the corner。Despite this， there's plenty of good points that one can use to make moderate improvements to their team and company structure。 。。。more
Elese Roger
，
Excellent stories and examples， although some get deep into the scientific explanation， which other than demonstrating the author's acumen - doesn't add value to his point。 That aside - he has done his research and I did learn a few things （which is always a positive measure of a book）。 I particularly thought the afterword's discussion on disruption vs loonshot to be intriguing。。。 Excellent stories and examples， although some get deep into the scientific explanation， which other than demonstrating the author's acumen - doesn't add value to his point。 That aside - he has done his research and I did learn a few things （which is always a positive measure of a book）。 I particularly thought the afterword's discussion on disruption vs loonshot to be intriguing。。。 。。。more
Khey Major
，
Dr。Okoh I used herbs to cure HPV wart and Genital Herpes completely。 My doctor here in Trinidad checked my blood and confirmed me negative and couldn't trace the illness and it symptoms anymore。 I want those who need natural herbs to cure Herpes， HPV， psoriasis， Lupus， diabetes， Hepatitis and others to contact #DROKOH for the herbal remedies。 I ordered his herbs and I took it warm for 14 days and letter that week and felt better and the symptoms on my skin and Genital died。 Steven said the herbs Dr。Okoh I used herbs to cure HPV wart and Genital Herpes completely。 My doctor here in Trinidad checked my blood and confirmed me negative and couldn't trace the illness and it symptoms anymore。 I want those who need natural herbs to cure Herpes， HPV， psoriasis， Lupus， diabetes， Hepatitis and others to contact #DROKOH for the herbal remedies。 I ordered his herbs and I took it warm for 14 days and letter that week and felt better and the symptoms on my skin and Genital died。 Steven said the herbs are root mixtures and I must testify that they’re effective。 Contact （+2348159907568 WhatsApp。 or drokohcuringherpes@gmail。com email。） for the herbs and see for yourself。 Thanks🎁 visit His website here。。https://drokohcuringherpes。wixsite。co。。。 。。。more
Andrew
，
Great book。 Favorite part includes: “LSC” Listen to the Suck with Curiosity。
Katie Sherman
，
I would recommend reading this book in chunks by chapter。 I made the mistake of reading it in almost one lump sitting and I was engaged during the book but afterwards there was a lot I didn’t recall。 It’s very informative and interesting
Abdulfattah Popoola
，
Interesting read， learnt about balancing the tension between new ideas and sustaining franchises。 Great way to think of leadership; a good book to return to in the future。It is interesting how there are patterns that can be predicted over time e。g。 how Steve Jobs was influenced by Polaroid， how he learned from his first mistake at Apple， how Tim Cook and The Design chief are balanced etc。
Su Lin
，
3。5 rounding up to 4。 A lot of fascinating content in here， but I honestly just didn’t really enjoy reading this。 I felt there were too many detours into scientific details/ elaborate histories that took away from the actual content of the book。 It made it rather tiresome to read if you’re not naturally fascinated by the technical details of some scientific discoveries。 I did find the ideas presented in here important and compelling， I just think the delivery was not for me。 In particular， I thi 3。5 rounding up to 4。 A lot of fascinating content in here， but I honestly just didn’t really enjoy reading this。 I felt there were too many detours into scientific details/ elaborate histories that took away from the actual content of the book。 It made it rather tiresome to read if you’re not naturally fascinated by the technical details of some scientific discoveries。 I did find the ideas presented in here important and compelling， I just think the delivery was not for me。 In particular， I think the incentive structures in so many companies could be seriously reworked according to the author’s suggestions。 I observe so much politicking around me and think more CEOs should adopt the ideas presented in this book。 。。。more
Matthew Sekol
，
If you’ve ever felt like you’re screaming ideas into wind， this book is for you。
Dave Applegate
，
I struggle w/ how to rate his book。 Here are my shotgun thoughts: - Bahcall likes talking about physics， history， etc。 His examples that support his thesises are often long winded， tie in weakly and can be a bit of a stretch。 - He raises some really interesting points about how to structure organizational units and organizations to maximize breakthrough ideas and creativity。 In particular， I love his point about how to reduce the incentives for individuals to be political in an organization- He I struggle w/ how to rate his book。 Here are my shotgun thoughts: - Bahcall likes talking about physics， history， etc。 His examples that support his thesises are often long winded， tie in weakly and can be a bit of a stretch。 - He raises some really interesting points about how to structure organizational units and organizations to maximize breakthrough ideas and creativity。 In particular， I love his point about how to reduce the incentives for individuals to be political in an organization- He raises an really interesting point between different types of organizational "creativity" （process/strategy vs。 big invention based） that is really interesting and creates a fascinating point on how organizations need both。 。。。more
Ankit
，
Fun read with lots of anecdotes and a little too much emphasis on phase separation and dynamic equilibrium。 Enjoyable read。I especially loved the bit about creating a team that aligns well towards what matters to the company by shaping incentives。
Shea
，
Useful framing for research vs product development。
Ankur
，
Interestingly book with anecdotes on key points to be followed for identifying and nurturing loonshots。 Examples are provided from public and private forums along with practical takeaways。 This is a good read for HR professionals， Managers， startup founders & CXOs。
Христо Блажев
，
Лунатизми движат света напред: http://knigolandia。info/book-review/l。。。Какви истории може да прочетете？ На първо място – за Ванивар Буш， описан като “генерал на тайна армия учени， който е посрещан едва ли не със страхопочитание във Вашингтон”， великолепен визионер и организатор， който помага на САЩ да наваксат технологичното си изоставане и дори да станат световни лидери， като пътем подпомага победата на съюзниците във Втората световна война с изобретения като микровълновия радар и радионавигаци Лунатизми движат света напред: http://knigolandia。info/book-review/l。。。Какви истории може да прочетете？ На първо място – за Ванивар Буш， описан като “генерал на тайна армия учени， който е посрещан едва ли не със страхопочитание във Вашингтон”， великолепен визионер и организатор， който помага на САЩ да наваксат технологичното си изоставане и дори да станат световни лидери， като пътем подпомага победата на съюзниците във Втората световна война с изобретения като микровълновия радар и радионавигацията， които печелят например битката за Атлантика， а сетне и като подпомага проучванията за атомната бомба: “Буш съставя една агресивна изследователска програма， получава подкрепа от военните и политическите лидери， след което предава програмата на военните под името Проект “Манхатън“。ИК "Хермес"http://knigolandia。info/book-review/l。。。 。。。more
Dimitri O。
，
As inherently flawed as business books are this is a solid one。 Simple framework and the fitting of square peg round hole examples into it is eminently believable。 Historical examples accurate and astute。 I’m left with the thought of ‘the author is very smart’ which is always a red flag for me personally。 I hope this isn’t a Collins’ good to great type work that is disproven in a short time span。 I’d like to believe the insights are solid and make sense in the real world。
Cristin
，
powerful read
W Prinssen
，
Dit is een fijn leesbaar boek en er zitten ook wel wat goede lessen in。 Een formule voor de optimale organisatiegrootte om innovatief te blijven （of om die grootte te doen stijgen） is hetgeen dat bij mij het meest blijft hangen als een interessant idee。 Op andere plekken weet ik niet of ik het altijd met de auteur eens ben。 Vooral bij remuneratie kwam wel erg de homo economicus aanname van financiële persoonlijke motivatie naar voren。Het boek leest makkelijk door veel anekdotes en persoonlijke e Dit is een fijn leesbaar boek en er zitten ook wel wat goede lessen in。 Een formule voor de optimale organisatiegrootte om innovatief te blijven （of om die grootte te doen stijgen） is hetgeen dat bij mij het meest blijft hangen als een interessant idee。 Op andere plekken weet ik niet of ik het altijd met de auteur eens ben。 Vooral bij remuneratie kwam wel erg de homo economicus aanname van financiële persoonlijke motivatie naar voren。Het boek leest makkelijk door veel anekdotes en persoonlijke ervaringen en dat is prettig。 De auteur heeft duidelijk Malcolm Gladwell stilistisch goed bekeken en doet zijn best overal cliffhangers in te bouwen。 Het leidt af en toe ook we af als die historische context （op zich heel leuk） met de haren bij de algehele storyline is gesleept。Uiteindelijk had ik tijdens het lezen steeds meer het gevoel dat het heel vernieuwend en toepasbaar was wat ik las dan ik nu achteraf kan reproduceren。 Er zijn veel boeiende ideeën die tot nadenken aanzetten， maar de auteur presenteert zijn denken voor mij als meer geïntegreerd dan het echt is。 De centrale metafoor met de faseovergangen is een interessante gedachte en parallel en associatief “voelt hij goed。 Maar uiteindelijk heb je er ook weer niet zoveel aan denk ik， omdat uiteindelijk de ‘fase’ van een groep samenwerkende mensen niet zo concreet wordt。Hoe dan ook， leuk om te lezen， interessant ook en het leidt zeker tot wat nieuwe inzichten bij me。 Uiteindelijk is het wel wat te onsamenhangend en te weinig uitgewerkt om onvergetelijk te zijn。 。。。more
Ash J
，
A very readable book on how to facilitate the development of crazy ideas （"loonshots"）。 The author has provided plenty of anecdotes ranging from Chinese emperors to Merck。For detailed notes， see https://ashonthegrid。wordpress。com/20。。。Here's the book in 5 bullets （excerpt from the above page）:- The whole is different than the sum of its parts。 The behavior and output of an individual depends on the team to which they belong and the dynamics of the team cannot be understood by studying an individ A very readable book on how to facilitate the development of crazy ideas （"loonshots"）。 The author has provided plenty of anecdotes ranging from Chinese emperors to Merck。For detailed notes， see https://ashonthegrid。wordpress。com/20。。。Here's the book in 5 bullets （excerpt from the above page）:- The whole is different than the sum of its parts。 The behavior and output of an individual depends on the team to which they belong and the dynamics of the team cannot be understood by studying an individual。- Franchises （things known to work） and loonshots （crazy ideas to be incubated） are two phases that should coexist in dynamic equilibrium （exchange of knowledge between the phases）。- There is a critical size of an organization to encourage loonshots。 Above this threshold， it is more beneficial for employees to work on franchises and spend time on company politics。 This size depends on growth options， span of control， equity and project-skill fit （apart from politics， of course）。 Another important parameter， especially when it comes to scientific research， is soft equity like peer recognition。- The benefits of phase coexistence between franchises and loonshots is prominent at different scales: company， industry， nation， etc。 Missing loonshots can even lead of demise of an empire。- To overturn beliefs that were upheld for millennia， a lot of loonshots must see the light of day。 Religious beliefs and the scientific method is a bonafide example。 。。。more
James
，
Very repetitive。
Ron
，
Rare to find a book which sits at the intersection of organizational management， research， product development， and the development of nations。
Jonas Minelga
，
Basically book of examples with some history lessons。 But that is a good thing， all information provided as real life examples and is easy to understand。 Nothing very inspiring to take action and start doing things， but very good source to learn how innovations should be done。
Brennan Gillis
，
While it contains interesting examples， it lacks any real analysis or research to back up its theories。 A lot of hype and new buzzwords for concepts that have already been addressed better in other business/management books。
Orianne Stern
，
A disruptive book that pushes the importance of innovation， again。 The book is a very light read that presents a very well-known fact。: the most beneficial ideas are usually not done because we don't harbor innovation， we are always focused on our preference or results。 While this is a light read， the content of the book isn't revolutionary and can be seen in multiple other books。 I did enjoy some of the stories portrayed in the book， but as a whole， the book lacked an holistic focus that could A disruptive book that pushes the importance of innovation， again。 The book is a very light read that presents a very well-known fact。: the most beneficial ideas are usually not done because we don't harbor innovation， we are always focused on our preference or results。 While this is a light read， the content of the book isn't revolutionary and can be seen in multiple other books。 I did enjoy some of the stories portrayed in the book， but as a whole， the book lacked an holistic focus that could prove useful to the reader。 。。。more
Surya Prakash
，