Canonical · Negotiation & Persuasion · Book

Split the Pie

Barry Nalebuff · 2022

"Fairness in negotiation isn't dividing based on who has more leverage or a bigger existing pie — game theory shows the value created jointly by a deal should be split equally, regardless of each side's size or starting power."

The idea

A Yale game theorist and Trivial Pursuit co-creator built a negotiation framework on one reframe: stop asking 'how much of my pie do I keep,' and start asking 'how much new pie did this deal create, and who actually made that possible.'

Why it works

The takeaway — recall it first

You Can Negotiate Anything

"Every negotiation, no matter how it's dressed up, runs on just three variables — power, time, and information — and whoever understands them best usually wins, regardless of who seems to hold the stronger position."

Herb Cohen · BookContinue→