The Monkey on the Marble

Why global governance fails when it builds for the platform instead of the problem.

If you want to understand why so many grand government initiatives end in expensive disappointment, start with a monkey.

This is one of Astro Teller’s favorite thought experiments. Teller runs X, Alphabet’s so-called Moonshot Factory, and he likes to ask people to imagine a strange assignment: teach a monkey to stand on a pedestal and recite Shakespeare.

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