By Jason Fried · world.hey.com · @jasonfried on X · LinkedIn
Jason Fried argues that while curiosity about what's new is expected, it is more valuable to study what has lasted. Products, practices, and ideas that survive repeated attempts to kill them contain durable lessons. Novelty cycles constantly, but the things that persist reveal what actually works. Treating longevity as a signal rather than a fluke gives builders a better filter for separating signal from noise. For product people constantly chasing the next trend, this is a reminder to look backward for evidence of what endures.
01Key takeaways
- Study things that have lasted, not just what is newly launched, to find durable lessons.
- Treat survival through criticism and predicted failure as evidence worth investigating.
- Ask what the enduring reason is behind something that persists over time.
- Recognize that longevity signals real value and can be an opportunity you previously overlooked.
- Use the question of what endures as a filter to decide where to invest attention and effort.
02Key sections
- Curiosity beyond the new
- Fried contrasts the default fascination with novelty against a more interesting question: what has been around for a long time. He frames this as where the real lessons sit.
- What survives the jabs
- Things that outlast predictions of their demise deserve attention. Their survival suggests a durable reason for existing that is worth understanding.
- New is endless
- There will always be a next new thing, so the constant churn is not a reliable guide. The enduring question is what makes something stick around.
- Longevity as opportunity
- Longevity is not luck, and it can be an opening for people who dismissed something earlier. Revisiting proven things can be a second chance to get on board.
- A strategic filter
- Looking at what remains is more than nostalgia. It helps cut through noise to find what matters, works, and deserves investment.
03From the post
“Be curious about what's new, sure. That's expected. But it's more interesting to be curious about what's old. What stood the test of time? What worked before and still works now? What survived through all the jabs that you assumed would knock it out, but didn't? That's worth attention. That's worth being curious about. Those are the things that are…”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.