Move slow and make things: What Japanese craftsmanship can teach business about quality, patience, and expertise when AI makes speed cheap

In the world of business, the mantra "move fast and break things" has been the guiding principle for decades. This approach has led to unprecedented wealth and innovation, but also created companies that prioritize speed over value. With the advent of artificial intelligence, speed has become so cheap that it has lost its value.

AI can generate strategy, code, and creative work in seconds, effectively obliterating the moats built by blitzscaling. However, this technological acceleration presents an opportunity to rediscover the importance of quality, patience, and expertise.

Japanese craftsmanship exemplifies the qualities that businesses should emulate. The term "shokunin" refers to skilled craftsmen who possess a deep understanding of their trade, coupled with a sense of pride and gratitude. This combination results in the ability to produce high-quality work while being humble enough to recognize when change is necessary and confident enough to execute a pivot.

Unlike Western business practices, Japanese companies such as Nintendo, Shiseido, and Kongo Gumi have prioritized tradition and quality over speed. These companies have redefined "never automate" as "never outsource your competitive advantage." By staying true to their core competencies, they have built enduring success that cannot be replicated by AI or competitors.

Principle 1 emphasizes the importance of depth over breadth. Constraints, though often seen as limitations, can be sources of advantage. By focusing on what they do best, companies can maintain a unique position in the market, even when opportunities arise to diversify. A prime example is Shimano, a small Japanese company that dominated the bicycle and fishing equipment markets for over a century by refusing to expand into other markets.

Their deep expertise in a single niche has made them a global leader, with Shimano components now standard in many high-performance bicycles.

Principle 2 highlights the value of taste as a skill. Although Americans invented blue jeans, the Japanese perfected them. Introduced during the post-World War II era, jeans became popular among Japanese youth seeking to emulate Hollywood styles. However, the Japanese refined the product to meet their specific needs and preferences, resulting in a product that is uniquely Japanese.

In summary, businesses should look to Japanese craftsmanship for inspiration when navigating the era of AI-driven speed. By embracing depth, taste, and a sense of pride in their work, companies can retain their competitive advantage and adapt to changing circumstances with confidence. The choice between speed and quality, automation and human expertise, and breadth and depth will define the future of business success.