📖Li Lu

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.

— Li Lu Columbia Lectures,2010

🏠 Everyday Analogy

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

📖 Core Interpretation

Li Lu 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
BYD Early Investment (2003)
Li Lu, through Himalaya Capital, invested in Chinese battery and EV maker BYD before mainstream recognition, analyzing its engineering strength and founder quality.
✨ Outcome:BYD grew into a global EV leader; the multibagger return validated concentrated, owner‑like investing.
2
Post‑Crisis BYD Volatility (2011)
After initial success, BYD’s stock price fell sharply amid concerns over growth, competition, and China’s EV policy shifts.
✨ Outcome:Li Lu maintained a concentrated stake, emphasizing intrinsic value; the company later recovered and reached new highs as EV adoption accelerated.

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