Venkatesh Rao: The Three Types of Decision Makers [The Knowledge Project Ep. #7]

In this episode, Venkatesh Rao, (@vgr) founder of Ribbonfarm and author of the book Tempo discusses the 3 types of decision makers and shares how to adopt useful mental models

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Spotify | Android | Google Play

On this episode of The Knowledge Project, I have Venkatesh Rao.

Chris Dixon, a previous guest on the show, suggested I interview Venkatesh, who is a writer, independent researcher and consultant.

Venkatesh is the founder of the blog Ribbonfarm, the technology analysis site Breaking Smart, and the author of a book on decision making called Tempo.

We talk about a host of fascinating subjects, including:

  • The dangers and the benefits of tribalistic and individualistic thinking
  • The 3 types of decision makers and a brief overview of each (which are you?)
  • The brilliant way he describes the power of mental models through Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings
  • How mental models simplify the sheer volume of information our brains are forced to process every day
  • Why it’s critical to continually update your mental models, and how most people are doing this wrong
  • How Venkatesh processes the information he reads, and how he handles material he doesn’t enjoy reading
  • How technology will impact the way we run businesses, manage people, and even interact with each other

If you’ve been a reader of Farnam Street for any length of time, you know we love geeking out about mental models, and how they enhance our ability to make better decisions and fewer mistakes.

This interview will elevate your knowledge of mental models, help you spot your own personal biases, and hopefully persuade you to look at the world a little differently.

I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Listen

***

Transcript

Would you like your own hand-edited transcript of this and every other Knowledge Project episode?

If so, consider becoming a Knowledge Project Premium Member. You’ll get exclusive benefits like podcast transcripts to highlight and revisit your favorite insights, behind the scenes commentary, and member-only AMAs with host Shane Parrish.

Your support also allows us to continue to produce high quality shows in the future. Learn more about it here.

Books Mentioned