Understanding how human systems actually work

Companies, economies, politics and culture — seen through psychology, economics, anthropology and geopolitics.

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Most things don’t work the way they appear

Modern institutions rarely behave according to their stated purpose. Companies don’t optimize for performance. Economies don’t follow simple logic. Social systems evolve through incentives, not intentions.

This project explores why.

Latest analyses

Not advice. Not opinions. Systems analysis.

This is not a productivity channel, not a business channel, and not a commentary channel. It is an attempt to understand the underlying logic of human systems — and how they shape behavior at scale.

Start with a system

Watch a video or read an analysis to begin.