sheet III

80 strategies

How things win — and which of it becomes a moat

The 80 strategies come from kepano's essay “Many ways to win” — a taxonomy of how organisms, products and companies gain an edge. The essay's point is that winners run a narrow, unusual combination of strategies. The Atlas adds one layer on top: which of these strategies grow into a moat, and which only take a position without holding it. That layer — the Role and Moats columns — is the Atlas's reading, not the essay's.

80 strategies · 43 hold · 13 lanes

Map (SVG)
Category
Role Only what holds
80 of 80
80 strategies — How things win — and which of it becomes a moat
Gist Nature Business Moats
Accumulation · 6
Usership Пользовательская масса Accumulation critical mass of users; network effect Nature ant trails Business phone system, the internet, large social networks ant trails phone system, the internet, large social networks Holds #1 #21 4
Completeness Полнота Accumulation all-in-one, one-stop shop Business Swiss army knife, Walmart — Swiss army knife, Walmart Holds #5 #27 2
Aggregation Агрегация Accumulation an environment built for broad participation Nature reefs Business cities, malls, Amazon, Craigslist reefs cities, malls, Amazon, Craigslist Holds #2 #1 4
Diversification
i

Weak moat on its own.

Диверсификация 		Accumulation low dependence on any single resource stream Nature omnivores Business conglomerates omnivores conglomerates Holds #22 4
Omnipresence Вездесущность Accumulation available everywhere, accepted by default Nature dandelions Business Visa, Coca-Cola dandelions Visa, Coca-Cola Holds #16 #31 4
Cloning Клонирование Accumulation grows by replicating identical copies Nature aspen groves, sourdough starter Business franchises aspen groves, sourdough starter franchises Holds #15 #16 3
Price · 4
Affordability
i

A moat only if the cost structure itself is hard to copy.

Доступность по цене 		Price comparatively low cost Business mass production, fast food, fast fashion — mass production, fast food, fast fashion Holds #15 #35 #24 4
Luxury Люкс Price deliberately high cost; status signal Business Veblen goods, supercars, luxury watches — Veblen goods, supercars, luxury watches Position → #8 → #18 → 4
Skimming Просеивание Price very many very small transactions Nature baleen whales, planktivores Business credit cards baleen whales, planktivores credit cards Holds #24 #15 4
Bundling Бандлинг Price packaged for free with something people already want Nature seeds in fruit Business Microsoft Office, cable channels seeds in fruit Microsoft Office, cable channels Holds #27 #26 3
Time · 4
Heritage
i

Time is the input nobody can buy.

Наследие 		Time multi-generational legacy Business religions, old companies — religions, old companies Holds #8 #34 4
Craftsmanship
i

#13 by default; #19 only when the craft is a team's repeatable process visible from outside.

Мастерство 		Time more time, precision and care than peers Business handmade watches, bespoke tailoring, Leica — handmade watches, bespoke tailoring, Leica Holds #13 #19? 1
Organic Органический рост Time natural growth that cannot be accelerated Nature trees, ecosystems Business aged cheese trees, ecosystems aged cheese Holds #35 #8 4
Endurance Выносливость Time operates continuously for a very long time Nature marathon runners Business nuclear submarines marathon runners nuclear submarines Holds #9 #22 4
Uniqueness · 9
Specialization Специализация Uniqueness deep competence in a narrow niche Nature pandas Business trade schools pandas trade schools Position → #17 → 3
Versatility Универсальность Uniqueness general competence across many tasks Nature opposable thumbs Business CPUs opposable thumbs CPUs Position → #17 → 3
Hybrid Гибрид Uniqueness two strengths not usually found together Nature frogs Business cronuts, amphibious vehicles, hybrid cars frogs cronuts, amphibious vehicles, hybrid cars Position → #17 → #33 → 3
Divergence Дивергенция Uniqueness creative differentiation from the norm Business Van Gogh, Picasso, Frank Gehry — Van Gogh, Picasso, Frank Gehry Position → #8 → #33 → 4
Authenticity Подлинность Uniqueness traceable to its source where fakes are common Business money, olive oil, art — money, olive oil, art Holds #8 #12 4
Rarity Редкость Uniqueness naturally limited quantity Business beachfront property, Victor Wembanyama — beachfront property, Victor Wembanyama Holds #18 3
Scarcity
i

Weaker than Rarity: the limit can be abandoned.

Дефицит 		Uniqueness artificially limited quantity Business collectibles, NFTs — collectibles, NFTs Holds #18 3
Secrecy Секретность Uniqueness hard to copy because knowledge is protected Business magicians, Coca-Cola, trade secrets — magicians, Coca-Cola, trade secrets Holds #3 #4 #19 4
Irreverence
i

A stance incumbents cannot copy without hurting themselves.

Непочтительность 		Uniqueness contrarian, disregards tradition Business Richard Branson, South Park — Richard Branson, South Park Holds #17 #33 3
Offense · 11
Violence Насилие Offense destroys or consumes the opponent by force Nature predators Business military attacks predators military attacks Takes — —
Litigation Судебные тяжбы Offense weakens opponents with legal burden Business patent trolls, lawsuits — patent trolls, lawsuits Holds #14 3
Nettlesomeness Назойливость Offense makes the opponent make mistakes Business Magnus Carlsen — Magnus Carlsen Takes — —
Sabotage Саботаж Offense creates weaknesses in the opponent's structure Business Stuxnet, cutting undersea cables — Stuxnet, cutting undersea cables Takes — —
Parasitism Паразитизм Offense extracts or hijacks resources from a host Nature mosquitoes, tapeworm mosquitoes, tapeworm — Takes — —
Scavenging Падальщичество Offense opportunistically consumes the weakened Nature vultures Business private equity vultures private equity Takes — —
Espionage Шпионаж Offense acquires the enemy's secrets Business spies — spies Takes — —
Swarming Рой Offense mass attack by individually weak agents Nature bees Business DDoS, Zerg rush bees DDoS, Zerg rush Takes — —
Highest bidder
i

Holds only while the money lasts.

Самая высокая ставка 		Offense outbids competitors to secure exclusivity Business Real Madrid, SoftBank, art collectors — Real Madrid, SoftBank, art collectors Holds #22 #18 4
Chokepoint Узкое горло Offense controls a passage everyone must pass Nature grizzlies at a waterfall Business Suez Canal grizzlies at a waterfall Suez Canal Holds #18 #16 3
Puppeteering Кукловодство Offense takes over a host's behaviour to serve itself Nature Cordyceps, Toxoplasma Cordyceps, Toxoplasma — Takes — —
Defense · 11
Deterrence
?

Broader than #14: deterrence by reputation or by capital has no moat in the Atlas.

Сдерживание 		Defense projected fear of retaliation Business nuclear weapons, trademarks, patents — nuclear weapons, trademarks, patents Holds #14 3
Reliability Надёжность Defense low maintenance, minimal downtime Business Zippo lighters, Toyota — Zippo lighters, Toyota Holds #8 #5 4
Predictability Предсказуемость Defense repeatable, consistent experience Business Disneyland, Starbucks — Disneyland, Starbucks Holds #8 #25 4
Unpredictability Непредсказуемость Defense surprise, confusion, variability Nature squid ink Business smoke screen, Banksy, Lady Gaga squid ink smoke screen, Banksy, Lady Gaga Protects — —
Decentralization Децентрализация Defense redundancy, no single point of failure Business solar power, grassroots movements — solar power, grassroots movements Protects — —
Security Безопасность Defense resistance to theft and unwanted access Business banks, vaults, locks — banks, vaults, locks Holds #7 #8 4
Privacy Приватность Defense protection against information disclosure Business encrypted messengers, VPNs — encrypted messengers, VPNs Holds #7 #8 4
Durability
i

#10 only for a physical product.

Прочность 		Defense physical robustness Nature LeBron James Business cast-iron skillets LeBron James cast-iron skillets Protects #10? 3?
Neutrality
?

Platform neutrality (not competing with your own customers) is a real reason to be chosen; the Atlas has no moat for it.

Нейтралитет 		Defense long-term non-belligerence, safe haven Business Switzerland, Red Cross — Switzerland, Red Cross Protects — —
Obscurity
?

Arguably a moat: nobody attacks what nobody sees.

Незаметность 		Defense survives by staying unknown Nature deep-sea creatures Business closed-source software deep-sea creatures closed-source software Protects — —
Antifragility Антихрупкость Defense gets stronger under stress or use Nature muscles Business BitTorrent muscles BitTorrent Holds #1 #9 4
Deception · 5
Camouflage Камуфляж Deception blends into the environment Nature chameleons Business stealth aircraft chameleons stealth aircraft Takes — —
Mimicry Мимикрия Deception superficially imitates another to trick Nature harmless snakes mimicking venomous ones harmless snakes mimicking venomous ones — Takes — —
Decoy Приманка-обманка Deception distracts or misleads adversaries Business chaff, fake security cameras — chaff, fake security cameras Takes — —
Lure Ловушка Deception attractive traps Nature anglerfish Business honeypot anglerfish honeypot Takes — —
Infiltration Проникновение Deception gets past defenses unnoticed Business Trojan horse, malware, smuggling — Trojan horse, malware, smuggling Takes — —
Timing · 3
First-mover
i

Timing is how the position was taken; it never holds.

Первый ход 		Timing acts first Entry, not defense Business Netflix, Tesla — Netflix, Tesla Takes — —
Second-mover Быстрый последователь Timing copies the first mover quickly Entry, not defense Business Facebook vs Snapchat — Facebook vs Snapchat Takes — —
Last-mover Последний ход Timing waits until others have burned energy on failed approaches Entry, not defense Business Apple — Apple Takes — —
Accreditation · 3
Monopoly Монополия Accreditation market control sanctioned by a governing body Business patents, regulatory capture — patents, regulatory capture Holds #30 #14 4
Prestige Престиж Accreditation endorsed by authoritative sources Business Michelin-starred restaurants, Ivy League graduates — Michelin-starred restaurants, Ivy League graduates Holds #8 #34 4
Curation Кураторство Accreditation selectiveness in choosing and grouping Business art galleries, HBO, venture capital — art galleries, HBO, venture capital Holds #33 #8 4
Collaboration · 9
Union Союз Collaboration potential competitors adopt one set of rules Business M&A, United States, European Union — M&A, United States, European Union Structure → #11 → #29 → 4
Alliance Альянс Collaboration partnership with independence kept Business partnerships — partnerships Structure → #11 → 2
Emergence Эмерджентность Collaboration hive mind, wisdom of the crowd Nature ant colonies, beehives Business democracy ant colonies, beehives democracy Holds #21 #32 2
Centralization Централизация Collaboration single decision-maker Business dictatorships — dictatorships Structure — —
Standardization Стандартизация Collaboration emergent alignment that reduces friction Business language, railway gauge, metric system — language, railway gauge, metric system Holds #29 #5 4
Symbiosis Симбиоз Collaboration mutually beneficial dependency Nature fig wasp Business two-party political system fig wasp two-party political system Structure — —
Herding Стадность Collaboration grouping for protection Nature schools of fish Business trade associations schools of fish trade associations Structure → #11 → 2
Distributed ownership Распределённое владение Collaboration owned by the community Business REI Co-op, Green Bay Packers — REI Co-op, Green Bay Packers Holds #21 #32 2
Transparency Прозрачность Collaboration visible inner workings that build trust Business open-source software — open-source software Holds #21 #20 3
Speed and scale · 7
Iteration
i

Depth 1; a real hold only when it compounds into #3 or #19.

Итерация 		Speed and scale short cycle between improvements Business SpaceX — SpaceX Holds #23 1
Efficiency Эффективность Speed and scale same capability with less energy or resources Business LED bulbs — LED bulbs Holds #15 #35 3
Agility Проворность Speed and scale adapts easily to a changing environment Nature squirrels Business gymnasts, go-karts squirrels gymnasts, go-karts Takes — —
Precision Точность Speed and scale high accuracy and exactness Business Swiss watches, CNC machining — Swiss watches, CNC machining Takes → #19 → 4
Blitzing Блиц Speed and scale sudden concentrated expenditure of resources Business hostile takeovers, blitz marketing — hostile takeovers, blitz marketing Takes — —
Composability Компонуемость Speed and scale components assemble in many configurations Business APIs, Stripe — APIs, Stripe Holds #20 #6 3
Modularity Модульность Speed and scale independent units usable in combinations Business LEGO, prefab buildings — LEGO, prefab buildings Holds #20 #6 3
Ease · 5
Intuitiveness Интуитивность Ease usable without instruction Business Dieter Rams designs — Dieter Rams designs Holds #25 #13 2
Fun Веселье Ease enjoyment and amusement Business video games, amusement parks, Duolingo — video games, amusement parks, Duolingo Holds #25 #8 4
Simplicity Простота Ease few points of failure, minimal design Business hammer, MUJI — hammer, MUJI Holds #13 #25 2
Low-friction Без трения Ease minimal hassle in use Business one-click ordering — one-click ordering Holds #25 #13 2
Charm Обаяние Ease loyalty through personality or aesthetics Business Oprah Winfrey, Paris — Oprah Winfrey, Paris Holds #8 #32 4
Transformation · 3
Malleability Пластичность Transformation easily modified or customised Business clay, software code, method actors — clay, software code, method actors Morphs — —
Metamorphosis Метаморфоза Transformation switches between states optimised for different contexts Nature caterpillar → butterfly, tadpole → frog caterpillar → butterfly, tadpole → frog — Morphs — —
Copycat Подражатель Transformation replicates another's method or style Business fast fashion, generic brands — fast fashion, generic brands Morphs — —

Accumulation

Накопление · 6 6 hold

Price

Цена · 4 3 hold

Time

Время · 4 4 hold

Uniqueness

Уникальность · 9 5 hold

Offense

Нападение · 11 3 hold

Defense

Защита · 11 6 hold

Deception

Обман · 5 0 hold

Timing

Тайминг · 3 0 hold

Accreditation

Аккредитация · 3 3 hold

Collaboration

Кооперация · 9 4 hold

Speed and scale

Скорость и масштаб · 7 4 hold

Ease

Лёгкость · 5 5 hold

Transformation

Трансформация · 3 0 hold

Roles

  • Holds

    leads to a moat

  • Position

    a positioning choice; becomes a moat only through #17 or #33

  • Structure

    how participants are organised; a moat only when it yields a standard or capture

  • Protects

    protects but does not compound with scale

  • Takes

    wins a position, does not keep it

  • Morphs

    adaptability, not defense

  • → #N

    via

  • #N?

    under conditions

Roles

Holds
leads to a moat
Position
a positioning choice; becomes a moat only through #17 or #33
Structure
how participants are organised; a moat only when it yields a standard or capture
Protects
protects but does not compound with scale
Takes
wins a position, does not keep it
Morphs
adaptability, not defense
→ #N
via
#N?
under conditions

Strategy taxonomy © kepano (Steph Ango), paraphrased with attribution. Role and moat mapping © Moat Atlas. Many ways to win ↗

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