Canonical · Compounding & Time · Paper

Path Dependence

Paul David · 1985

"Where you end up depends on where you started and every step in between."

The idea

The QWERTY keyboard isn't optimal — it was designed for mechanical typewriters. But we're stuck with it because every keyboard, every typist, and every training program built on the last one. Small early accidents can lock in outcomes for centuries.

Why it works

The takeaway — recall it first

Lindy Effect

"The longer an idea or object has survived, the longer it is likely to keep surviving."

Nassim Taleb · ModelContinue→