Elon Musk: Don’t rely on analogies, think from first principles! In an interview, Musk pointed out that most people like to think by using analogies to attribute causes—basically copying what others do. If someone else does it this way, then I’ll do it the same way. Musk then introduced his own way of thinking, which is based on “first principles.” This means breaking something down to its most fundamental components, starting from the essence of the matter, and then reasoning step by step to rebuild your understanding. Take the example of “electric car batteries”: Most people say it’s “obvious” that batteries are expensive because, for a long time, they’ve always been expensive. But if you think from “first principles,” the question you should ask is: What are batteries actually made of? What are the real market prices of these materials (like cobalt, nickel, aluminum, etc.)? Then you’ll realize that the value of the raw materials is far lower than you’d imagine—it’s just that no one has done the math or restructured the process. True innovation isn’t just about “rephrasing” something; it’s about starting from the ground up and overturning old assumptions.