Fighting it is Futile
In 1996, Garry Kasparov played against IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer in a six games match and defeated the Deep blue. But a year later, Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in a rematch. It was the first time a reigning world champion was defeated by a computer under tournament conditions. It was a definitive moment that proved that finally machines were superior to humans.
Many at that time believed that computers couldn’t learn chess. But not only did it learn to play chess, but it proved that it could defeat even the best in the world. Many international players were afraid that the sport was going to be dead now because no human could beat the computers, so what’s the point of playing.
A few foresightful Grand Masters started using computers to assist them during their preparation. They started analyzing past games taking advantage of the infinite computing power of these machines. With access to more data, they bettered their understanding of new positions, trained their eyes to see more patterns, and thereby used computers to improve their game significantly.
That is what Fred Wilson calls a Jui-Jitsu move.
Whenever a new technology, a new entrant, or a new behavior comes into the market, the initial reaction is often to reject it.
But the better move is to take that new energy coming at you and use it to your advantage. Let's call it the “Jiu-Jitsu Move.”
But most of us don’t like things to change. We get ticked off by even the smallest changes. Everything ranging from a change in seating arrangement at the office, to change in the taste of coffee from a new coffee machine, to change in icon or product flow after upgrade of our favorite product. The first reaction, almost always, is to resist the change.
But I believe that the only thing to do with change is to embrace it. Maybe even use it to your advantage. Fearing it is certainly the wrong instinct and fighting it is futile.
And only after you embrace the change, would you be able to see a Jiu-Jitsu move, if there is one. It’s an important mental model, especially in unprecedented times like these, where everything around us is changing so much.
Best,
Kaddy