English translations are being added article by article. The Chinese collection contains 858 articles; 736 currently have a full English translation. Dates refer to the original posts.
Reprinted compilation (tagged #Dedao and #ZhangXiaoyuClassicBusinessCaseCourse; author not identified)
Reading guide
The course describes strong financial performance under Ballmer, alongside Microsoft’s failure to catch the smartphone wave. It argues that long-dominant businesses start to see themselves as the industry and lose sight of market realities. The repeated “we” in the 2013 “One Microsoft” memo, it says, reflects a Windows-centered monopoly mindset rather than attention to customers. A monopolist does not have to make trade-offs—and therefore does not learn to make them.
Key points
A monopolist sees itself as the industry and becomes least sensitive to subtle changes.
Strategy expressed as “we, we” suggests an inward focus.
Strategy requires trade-offs; a monopolist need not make them.
Clinging to the engine of past success makes transformation exceptionally difficult.
Reprinted compilation (tagged #Dedao and #ZhangXiaoyuClassicBusinessCaseCourse; author not identified)
Reading guide
Transforming a large company is like replacing an aircraft carrier’s engine. Microsoft’s old engine was Windows. Nadella removed licensing fees for small mobile devices, made products such as Office free on iOS and Android and sometimes prioritized those platforms, and reshaped the culture: less internal performance ranking, more emphasis on team success, Silicon Valley visits, and Nonviolent Communication for senior leaders. The hardest step, the course concludes, is accepting market reality and putting customers first.
Key points
Changing the engine is difficult: the old one may still be repairable; replacement hurts; perhaps what you need is an airplane instead.
Giving up licensing fees and opening products to rival platforms signals acceptance of market reality.
Move from individual performance rankings to team success to reduce internal friction.
Reshaping culture is the hardest part of an already difficult transformation.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到頭條20240227; author not identified), with Robin’s closing commentary
Reading guide
A compilation of Zhang Weiying’s observations on entrepreneurship: thinking about the upside and changing constraints. Wahaha’s joint distribution system illustrates how constraints can be incorporated into the rules of cooperation so that everyone makes money. Robin closes with his thoughts on the difference between ambition and unrealistic aspirations.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到 #張瀟雨經典商業案例課; author not identified), with Robin’s opening commentary
Reading guide
Robin begins by explaining his preference for confirming demand before starting a business, and asks whether the world would be different if you did not pursue it. The course digest that follows uses Qunar and Ctrip to show why needs should be understood at a higher level of abstraction, revisiting that level roughly every six months.
Key points
First confirm that demand genuinely exists.
A product that is ten times better can create demand.
Regularly move your understanding of the business up one level of abstraction.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到聽書 #章魚書場; author not identified), with Robin’s closing commentary
Reading guide
A reposted Dedao audiobook digest on Walt Disney’s creation of Disneyland: designing entrances, visitor flow, and first impressions from the visitor’s perspective, while envisioning a park that could keep growing. Robin concludes that products must start from the user’s perspective: if users do not buy in, the problem is yours.
Key points
Design products from the user’s perspective.
A single entrance marks the transition between reality and a dream.
Good products should allow continual improvement—“plussing.”
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到聽書, Yu Jun’s Product Methodology (俞軍產品方法論); author not identified), with a parenthetical comment by Robin
Reading guide
An account of how the product manager role originated in P&G’s brand management system. As software and then the internet developed, its core capabilities shifted from brand marketing to project management and then insight into user needs. Robin adds that project managers are gradually being replaced by product managers, though both share the abbreviation PM.
Key points
Brand managers preceded product managers.
Different eras require different core capabilities.
Insight into user needs is central in the internet era.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到頭條20230710; author not identified), with Robin’s commentary
Reading guide
A compilation of reasons Japan has so many century-old companies: family succession, commitment to a core trade, small-scale operations, and trading partners as evidence of creditworthiness. Using Kongo Gumi and Keiunkan as examples, it concludes that creditworthiness is a soft capability supporting long-term survival. Robin writes that, as you make your way in the world, you must protect your reputation.
Key points
Family succession and commitment to a core trade matter.
Many century-old companies are very small.
Creditworthiness is assessed through past trading partners.
Book excerpt (#給忙碌者的極簡管理學, The Wall Street Journal Essential Guide to Management)
Reading guide
Drucker identifies five tasks for managers: setting objectives, organizing, motivating and communicating, measuring performance, and developing people. Modern managers must also be leaders.
Key points
Drucker’s five tasks of a manager.
Bennis on the differences between managers and leaders.
Chinese translation of Bezos’s shareholder letter (translated by Vinchent)
Reading guide
In 2002, Amazon lowered prices while taking efficiency to its best level yet: net sales rose 26% to US$3.9 billion, and free cash flow turned positive at US$135 million. Low prices came from efficiency rather than sacrifice.
Key points
Net sales rose 26% to US$3.9 billion.
Free cash flow reached US$135 million, an improvement of US$305 million.
An in-store comparison of 100 bestsellers found 72 cheaper at Amazon.
Customer service contacts per order improved by 13%.
Product innovation starts with identifying opportunities, not discussing features. Beginning with economic, social, and user changes, this article explains how jobs, expectations, and constraints can reveal unmet needs between supply and demand.
Key points
Identify gaps between supply and demand before rushing into product design.
Find opportunities through changing times and users’ jobs.
Break down the job, expectations, and constraints.
Product managers should believe that users genuinely face problems without automatically accepting the solutions users propose. This article advocates investigating business logic and work constraints, and developing two habits: pursuing every question to its conclusion and demanding the best possible outcome.
Key points
Distinguish users’ problems from their proposed solutions.
Resolve questions before translating them into product requirements.
Investigate the reasons and resources behind a delay, while allowing that postponement may be the best option.
Moving a company through different stages takes more than financial metrics and performance appraisals. Jixun Foo discusses culture, delegation, reflection, and learning, and explains the role of value-chain consolidation in the context of China’s enterprise services market at the time.
Key points
Vision and mission provide direction for continued innovation.
Delegation, talent, and learning from experience support organizational growth.
Digitizing enterprise operations also involves restructuring the value chain.
Reprint (post tagged #極簡增長; author not identified), with Robin’s commentary
Reading guide
Businesses and lives tend to become more complex over time—an increase in entropy—so they need regular clearing out. Robin adds that large companies must remind themselves to keep things simple, while entrepreneurs must stay true to their original purpose. A deviation of just 0.1 degrees becomes larger the further you travel, making continual recalibration essential.
Key points
Businesses and lives tend toward complexity and need regular clearing out.
Robin: Small deviations become large ones over distance; build a recalibration mechanism.
Startups should not be complicated from the outset.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #慢創業; author and original source not identified), with Robin’s closing commentary
Reading guide
A first-person account of moving from research to entrepreneurship: research is like exploring a route, while entrepreneurship is like building a road. Researchers can add value on top of humanity’s accumulated knowledge; entrepreneurs must build their own core systems from scratch. The article advocates finding real problems, resisting the temptations of large projects and honors, and growing with a few high-quality customers. Robin concludes that research-based entrepreneurship requires new mindsets and capabilities, and can draw on a venture capital platform to connect markets, technology, management, and funding.
Key points
Research is like exploring a route; entrepreneurship is like building a road.
Find real problems rather than merely different approaches.
Learn to say no and grow alongside a small number of customers.
#得到頭條20221104 (an account shared by former Amazon China vice president Zhang Sihong)
Reading guide
An introduction to Amazon customer service’s Andon system: frontline staff receiving repeated complaints about the same issue can take a product or promotion offline until the issue is resolved. Borrowed from Toyota’s production-line system, it is illustrated through a story of Bezos listening to service calls and Zhang Sihong’s experience in Chengdu. The article discusses a ceiling on incorrect Andon actions and argues that managers should address hiring, training, and systems rather than add approvals. Good intentions alone are insufficient; mechanisms make them work.
Key points
Frontline employees can trigger an Andon action to expose a problem.
When errors exceed the limit, management should improve training and systems rather than add approvals.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到 #吳伯凡每周商業評論; author not identified), with Robin’s opening and interjections
Reading guide
Robin recalls his childhood dream of opening a comic-book shop, illustrating how familiar ideas or personal sentiment can drive entrepreneurship while obscuring its costs. A reposted analysis by Wu Bofan follows: begin with the value proposition, then examine the idea through NABC—Need, Approach, Benefit per Cost, and Competition.
Key points
Sentiment-driven ideas can lead you to underestimate the costs.
Can users clearly perceive your value proposition?
Reprinted compilation (post credits Professor Yang Bin of Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in Beijing), with Robin’s closing commentary
Reading guide
A reposted article by Tsinghua professor Yang Bin proposes a simple test of a good university in the AI era: how much entrepreneurship it fosters. Entrepreneurship education offers embodied learning and wholehearted personal engagement, led by an expanded teaching community of coaches, mentors, entrepreneurs, and investors. It should combine an expanded classroom with extracurricular practice and real business challenges. Universities should preserve their educational purpose rather than count only unicorns. Robin concludes that the best universities will have the strongest entrepreneurship education and the most complete entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Key points
Entrepreneurship education offers university value that AI cannot replace.
“Faculty-plus”: coaches, mentors, entrepreneurs-in-residence, and investors—not only academic professors.
“Classroom-plus”: credit for learning outside formal courses and real business projects that teach through action.
Success means students become self-directed, willing, capable, and effective—not merely producing more unicorns.
Compilation of the original post (see the notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The post is tagged as Ning Xiangdong’s management course. Only third-party weekly course notes were obtained, not the original manuscript. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for limitations concerning sources, figures, and quotations.
Key points
The original post’s argument and examples are retained.
See the notes in the body for limitations on the original source, figures, and quotations.
Compilation of the original post (see the notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The original text contains explicitly identified comments by Robin; the rest is tagged Wu Jun/Dedao. A matching original manuscript was not obtained. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for limitations concerning sources, figures, and quotations.
Key points
The original post’s argument and examples are retained.
See the notes in the body for limitations on the original source, figures, and quotations.
Compilation of the original post (see the notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The post is tagged Wu Jun/Dedao. Matching passages were found only in third-party notes. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for limitations concerning sources, figures, and quotations.
Key points
The original post’s argument and examples are retained.
See the notes in the body for limitations on the original source, figures, and quotations.
Compilation of the original post (see the notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The post is tagged Wu Bofan’s weekly business commentary. A matching original manuscript was not obtained. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for limitations concerning sources, figures, and quotations.
Key points
The original post’s argument and examples are retained.
See the notes in the body for limitations on the original source, figures, and quotations.
Reprinted compilation (post tagged #得到頭條; author not identified), with Robin’s opening and interjections
Reading guide
Robin begins by describing Luckin as a textbook case. A Dedao Headlines compilation follows: after accounting fraud and delisting, Luckin completed a debt restructuring and pursued a turnaround through milk-based coffee products, franchising, and more targeted marketing.
Key points
Shift from benchmarking Starbucks to bestselling milk-based coffee drinks.
Move from company-operated stores to franchising to lower expansion costs.
Replace large subsidies with more targeted marketing.
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
This is an excerpt from a talk by Chen Chunhua on uncertainty. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The original WeChat article credits Chen Chunhua, with narration by Pan Ting. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The source is an article narrated by Feng Tang, edited by Sansan, supplied by Qingting FM, and published by Zhenghe Island. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
This is an excerpt from a talk by Wang Qiang at a ZhenFund training camp; the source includes information about the institution’s activities and resources. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The original WeChat article is credited to Ba Jiuling and the Wu Xiaobo Channel; it should not be treated as a verbatim transcript of Wu Xiaobo speaking. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Excerpt from Rework (post tagged #StartAtTheEpicenter) + Robin’s commentary
Reading guide
Robin uses the hot dog stand analogy to argue that founders should first identify their business’s epicenter: if you can remove something and still operate, it is not the epicenter. He then comments on Super Wenheyou, a sensation at the time: packaging can create excitement, but whether it lasts depends on the strength of the food business itself.
Key points
Ask yourself: if I remove this, can I still run this business?
Packaging can create a craze, but staying power depends on the core offering
Robin on Wenheyou: whether the investment craze continues depends on the food business at its core
Chinese excerpt compilation (not a complete, verbatim translation; see source notes for differences)
Reading guide
This post compiles Jessica Livingston’s advice on founders’ qualities and getting started: play to your strengths, listen to users, choose complementary cofounders, and keep experiments small. The original post is a six-point Chinese excerpt, not the complete nine points from the original talk.
Key points
Play to your strengths and choose cofounders with complementary skills and shared values
Start small and let users, rather than academic credentials, judge the product
Chinese excerpt compilation (not a complete, verbatim translation; see source notes for differences)
Reading guide
This post reorganizes Paul Graham’s advice for young people into 13 points: explore your interests before fixing your life goals, choose work that expands your future options, and pursue projects with curiosity. The Chinese version substitutes some examples and paraphrases others, so it should be read alongside the original.
Key points
Do not lock in a life path too soon; first explore questions that interest you
Work on small projects and expand your future options through action
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
This is a Chinese excerpt related to The ONE Thing. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The post is tagged Wu Jun and Letters from Silicon Valley, but the matching original manuscript has not been obtained. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The post is tagged Wu Jun and Dedao. Only some concepts were located in third-party notes; the full original course was not obtained. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The original WeChat article and SpaceX material support SN5 completing a 150-meter test flight and landing in Texas on August 4, 2020, using a single Raptor engine. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Maven founder Kate Ryder discusses conviction in entrepreneurship, her experience as a journalist, interviewing, and giving feedback. Her experiences emphasize seeking expert advice, understanding candidates’ self-awareness, and allowing room for design exploration within clear objectives.
Key points
Use user stories to sustain an early team’s conviction
Use the qualities required for a role to understand how candidates think
Make feedback specific without deciding every step for the professional team
Original post compilation (see notes for source and verification limitations)
Reading guide
The original article was narrated by Jiang Nanchun, edited by Ye Kaifu, and published by Zhenghe Island. It includes Focus Media’s marketing claims. The original post is retained in full; see the notes in the body for source details and limitations concerning figures and quotations.
Key points
Retains the arguments and examples in the original post
See the notes in the body for the original source and limitations on verifying figures and quotations
Reposted compilation (recommendation-preface excerpt; post credits Yang Bin) + Robin’s closing remarks
Reading guide
This excerpt from Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management professor Yang Bin’s recommendation preface to The Infinity Machine (Chinese edition: 《哈薩比斯：谷歌AI之腦》) discusses three forces driving DeepMind founder Hassabis: purpose (mission), will, and taste. It concludes that the three are interconnected and that purpose need not be a grand narrative. Robin’s closing remarks recommend the book as a way to return to one’s inner compass in an age of AI anxiety.
Key points
Purpose generates will, and will sustains purpose
Taste is both a fruit of purpose and a force that focuses will
Purpose need not be grand; it is genuine if it can continually guide your inner life
This post compiles Gmail’s principal developer Paul Buchheit’s 2009 article “Applied Philosophy, a.k.a. Hacking”: complex systems have both intended rules and actual rules. The hacker mindset identifies the gap and creates convenience through shortcuts and changes to the rules. At the end, Robin recommends Paul Graham’s Hackers & Painters and offers his own view of Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial spirit.
Key points
Systems have two sets of rules: what they claim and how they actually operate
Hacking is about changing rules and improving systems, rather than destruction
New businesses often emerge in gaps in the rules that large companies overlook or dismiss
Reposted compilation (post tagged #DedaoBookSummary; summary of Tim Urban’s Musk series) + Robin’s commentary
Reading guide
This post summarizes Tim Urban’s observations of Musk: most people work from recipes—established practices—while Musk resembles a chef who redesigns things from first principles. Tesla illustrates the value of an outsider’s perspective and looking at a product afresh. Robin adds background on Urban and Musk at the end.
Key points
Cooks follow recipes; chefs create their own
Outsiders lack historical baggage and can more readily challenge incumbents
Battery technology and a focus on the product provided Tesla’s opening
This post compiles three qualities Walter Isaacson draws from Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Jobs, and Musk: curiosity, passion, and mission. Robin adds a fourth—imagination—and observes that every child has curiosity and imagination, which are sadly often stifled by their environment.