Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy cover image

Bill Gurley & Michael Mauboussin - Putting Theory into Practice - [Invest Like the Best, EP.370]

Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy

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Ken Arrow and the Notion of Learning by Doing / Wright's Law

Ken Arrow's concept of learning by doing emphasizes that the more one engages in a task, the better they become at it, leading to increased productivity. This idea is crucial in various industries like solar energy and electric vehicles where cumulative output drives down costs per unit, as per Wright's Law. This law, proposed in the 1930s, states that with every doubling of cumulative output, costs per unit decrease by 20%. This phenomenon explains the cost dynamics of technologies like lithium batteries and solar panels effectively. Companies like Tesla have leveraged learning by doing to gain a cost advantage by being leaders in cumulative output. Thus, the continuous improvement resulting from learning by doing leads to increasing returns and a competitive edge in the market.

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