A possible model is that while good startups have an elevation in the “cult-factor”, they have an even greater elevation in the unique factor related to the product they are building. Like SpaceX has cult-like elements but SpaceX also has Mars and Mars is much bigger than the cult-like elements, so if we define a cult to require that the biggest thing going on for them is cultishness then SpaceX is not a cult.
This is justified by LDSL (I really should write up the post explaining it...).
I’d say that the reason why the SpaceX cult/business can actually make working rockets is because they have rich feedback from reality when they try to design rockets, even at the pre-testing stage, because while it’s not obvious to a layperson if a rocket does work, it is relatively easy to check the physics of whether a new rocket does work for an expert, meaning the checking of claims can be made legible, which is an enemy to cults in general.
More generally, I’d say the difference between a cult and a high-impact startup/business is whether they can get rich and reliable feedback from a source, and secondarily how legible their theory of impact/claims are.
A possible model is that while good startups have an elevation in the “cult-factor”, they have an even greater elevation in the unique factor related to the product they are building. Like SpaceX has cult-like elements but SpaceX also has Mars and Mars is much bigger than the cult-like elements, so if we define a cult to require that the biggest thing going on for them is cultishness then SpaceX is not a cult.
This is justified by LDSL (I really should write up the post explaining it...).
I’d say that the reason why the SpaceX cult/business can actually make working rockets is because they have rich feedback from reality when they try to design rockets, even at the pre-testing stage, because while it’s not obvious to a layperson if a rocket does work, it is relatively easy to check the physics of whether a new rocket does work for an expert, meaning the checking of claims can be made legible, which is an enemy to cults in general.
More generally, I’d say the difference between a cult and a high-impact startup/business is whether they can get rich and reliable feedback from a source, and secondarily how legible their theory of impact/claims are.
Bigness alone doesn’t cut it.