Joy’s Law is a management principle that states:
“No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else.”
This observation was made by Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, in response to Bill Gates’ claim that Microsoft was an “IQ monopoly.”
Implications
- Collaboration: Emphasizes the importance of working with external partners and leveraging their expertise.
- Ecosystems: Suggests building ecosystems around your product or service to benefit from the collective intelligence of others.
- Openness: Encourages a more open and collaborative approach to innovation.
- Humility: Recognizes that no single company or individual has all the answers.
Joy’s Law highlights the value of external talent and the need to create an environment that attracts and benefits from the best minds.