Bezos, Musk, & Buffett See The World Differently, Because They See Time Differently
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“The greatest CEOs that we ever studied manage for the quarter… century.” ― Jim Collins
Over the last 5 years, I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying and writing about self-made billionaire entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio, and Elon Musk. These innovators have built multi-decade track records like few others in history. Cumulatively, they have donated tens of billions of dollars and helped create world-changing products. In other words, the planet would be very different right now if they had never been born.
One of the most surprising patterns they all share is that they see in 4D while most people see in 1D:
- Dimension 1: Focus on one field (specialization)
- Dimension 2: Learn across disciplines, apply to a specialty (polymath)
- Dimension 3: Think vertically from hacks to principles (mental models)
- Dimension 4: Think hundreds of years into the past and future (time)
In previous articles, I’ve written about the first three dimensions. This is the first time I’m writing about the fourth one...time. This is probably the least understood of the four dimensions…
The Power Of The Long Game
Where almost all public company CEOs, not to mention people in general, plan days, weeks, and months ahead, these visionaries think decades or even centuries into the future. And they don’t just plan: They put their money where their mouths are. They make bold bets that won’t pay off anytime soon — and that have a high probability of failure.
