John Gall's "The Systems Bible" is a humorous yet insightful look at the complexities and often ironic failures of systems. Gall uses witty anecdotes and real-world examples to illustrate common pitfalls in system design and management. The book is filled with amusing stories of projects gone wrong, highlighting the unexpected consequences of seemingly simple decisions. It's a valuable read for anyone working with complex systems, offering a lighthearted yet effective way to learn from past mistakes. The book's unique approach makes it both entertaining and educational, providing valuable lessons in a memorable way.
In this book, Don Norman discusses how design should be centered around the user's needs, emphasizing the importance of visibility, natural relationships between controls and functions, and the intelligent use of constraints. He argues that poor design, rather than user ineptness, is often the cause of frustration with everyday objects. The book covers various aspects of design, including affordances, signifiers, and the seven stages of action, providing a comprehensive guide to creating user-friendly products.
This classic novel by Robert M. Pirsig is a personal and philosophical odyssey that delves into the author's search for meaning. The narrative follows a father and his son on a summer motorcycle trip from the Midwest to California, intertwining a travelogue with deep philosophical discussions. The book explores the concept of 'quality' and how it informs a well-lived life, reconciling science, religion, and humanism. It also touches on the author's own struggles with his past and his philosophical quest, making it a touching and transcendent exploration of human experience and endeavor.
My guest today is Tobi Lutke, the co-founder, and CEO of Shopify. This is both a timely and evergreen conversation. Timely, as the world as moved aggressively digital in the past two months, and Shopify powers so much of digital commerce. Evergreen, because while we touch on Covid and the Shopify business, this is much more a conversation on business and personal principles, learning, design, and growth. Tobi is one of the CEO’s I look up to most for the type of company he is building and for the way he conducts himself. We discuss business focus, why video games help you learn the power of attention, what design means for products and organizations, and much more. Please enjoy my conversation with Tobi Lutke.
This episode is brought to you by the MIT investment management company (MITIMCO)
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Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub.
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Show Notes
(2:35) – (First question) – The launch of the new Shopify shop app
(2:44) – Daniel Ek Podcast Episode
(2:45) – Jeff Lawson Podcast Episode
(4:56) – Having the right focus and growing a good business
(9:06) – Marketplace business model vs the merchant driven business model
9:16 – Bill Gurley Podcast Appearances - 162 | 144 | 137
(11:47) – His role as a decisionmaker as CEO of the company
(14:07) – What does he mean when he talks about quality
(18:28) – His thinking on design and quality
(18:32) – Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance
(19:59) – The Design of Everyday Things
(21:06) – Friction as a force in business and manufacturing
(26:04) – His thoughts on systems and being free of process
(26:08) – The Systems Bible
(30:01) – The game of Factoria and how it relates to systems
(32:16) – Transfer Learning
(34:33) – What Real-Time Strategy games have taught Tobi
(38:30) – Building context inside of a company and making it scale
(41:17) – Personality typing
(46:22) – The Tobi Blueprint
(46:04) – Why he likes The Guide to the Good Life and stoicism
(55:38) – Raising kids and the impact of Covid
(1:03:16) – The kindest thing anyone has done for Tobi
Learn More
For more episodes go to InvestorFieldGuide.com/podcast.
Sign up for the book club, where you’ll get a full investor curriculum and then 3-4 suggestions every month at InvestorFieldGuide.com/bookclub
Follow Patrick on Twitter at @patrick_oshag
Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy 
