[Bread-Baking Typewriter] Making the Strategy of the Powerful Mine... The Secret of 'Reverse Engineering'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] In 1983, Steve Jobs learned just six weeks before the launch of Apple's ambitious Macintosh that he had been blindsided. Bill Gates of Microsoft, whom Apple had regarded merely as a "subcontractor" supplying computer programs, announced plans to develop an operating system similar to the Macintosh. This would become the widely used 'Windows' operating system. Enraged, Steve Jobs immediately summoned Bill Gates. However, when Gates appeared the next day, he was confident. He responded to Jobs, "It's like we both had a wealthy neighbor named Xerox, and I broke into their house to steal a TV, only to find that you had already stolen it." In fact, Gates did not imitate Apple but rather referenced the computer 'Alto' introduced by Xerox over a decade earlier, applying the same logic to both Apple and Microsoft.

The author terms this concept 'reverse engineering.' It is an approach that systematically breaks down the subject to uncover the secrets of excellence and extract important insights, thereby discovering success patterns.

Reverse engineering is also applied in professional American football games. The 'zoom-out strategy,' which involves viewing the situation from a distance to get an overall perspective, is part of reverse engineering. In the 1950s, Wellington Mara, the general manager of the New York Giants, took photos from the stands before games using a Polaroid camera and threw the photos to his team's bench to convey information, leading the team to six championship games in eight years. This can be considered the origin of the aerial imagery used by football teams today. The author explains, "There is no better way to quickly grasp the opponent's strategy than by viewing the entire field," adding, "Patterns that are not visible up close often become apparent when viewed from a distance with a zoom-out."

One of the things visible from a distance is 'patterns.' Once patterns are identified, abstraction becomes possible. The author also states, "Quantifying the subject is effective." With the advent of data science, the focus has shifted from understanding the causes of success 'after the fact' to predicting and identifying areas for improvement 'in advance,' gaining significant attention recently.

For example, if you want a song to enter the Billboard Top 10, the method is to "create an upbeat song in 4/4 time with bright lyrics, but avoid including too many types of instruments." To make a movie successful, "include a variety of character types, use little to no vulgar elements, and create a clear cause-and-effect structure." For a novel, "start the first part with short sentences, use as few adverbs as possible, and employ simple vocabulary understandable by middle school students."

Of course, success cannot be guaranteed by merely imitating these rules. "The more frequently a specific formula is used, the more predictable and less interesting the content becomes," and "individual strengths, personalities, and life experiences differ, influencing the outcome."

The key is personalization through 'variation.' Combining two different subjects can also be a form of variation. The author notes, "Steve Jobs did not invent the MP3 player or the mobile phone. He found a way to combine the two and created the iPhone," and advises, "Creativity arises when ideas intersect. (Omitted) Use existing proven formulas but vary them in your own way."

Reverse Engineering | Written by Ron Friedman | Translated by Lee Su-kyung | Across | 376 pages | 17,800 KRW

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