📖Julian Robertson

Inversion Thinking

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Invert problems to find insights forward thinking misses.

💬

Instead of asking how to succeed, ask how to avoid failure. Inverting problems often reveals insights that forward thinking misses.

— More Money Than God,2010

🏠 Everyday Analogy

A process is like a pilot checklist: discipline prevents simple mistakes when pressure rises and keeps outcomes more repeatable.

📖 Core Interpretation

Julian Robertson advocates a repeatable process: define criteria, execute consistently, and review decisions against evidence. Process quality drives outcome consistency.
💎 Key Insight:Avoiding failure is often more productive than pursuing success.

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❓ Why It Matters

Without process, there is no reliable feedback loop. Structured execution and review improve decision quality over time.

🎯 How to Practice

Run a decision loop of research, thesis, execution, and post-mortem; document assumptions and update playbooks with evidence, not hindsight bias.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Having opinions without execution criteria
Reviewing outcomes but not decisions
Abandoning rules during volatility spikes

📚 Case Studies

1
Tiger Management and Asian/Russian Turmoil (1998)
Global Perspective, influenced by Robertson’s macro views, faced losses as Asian crisis and Russian default triggered massive volatility
✨ Outcome:Positioning proved too early; heavy redemptions and losses contributed to the eventual shuttering of Tiger Management in 2000
2
Tech Bubble Skepticism (2000)
Robertson’s global perspective led him to short overvalued tech stocks and avoid momentum-driven internet names at the peak
✨ Outcome:Fund underperformed during late-stage bubble but was vindicated when tech stocks crashed; however, investor withdrawals had already forced closure

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