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Good morning to all new and old readers! Here is your Wednesday edition of Faster Than Normal, exploring one short story about a person, a company, a high-performance tool, a trend I’m watching closely, and curated media to help you build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself. 

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Today’s edition:

Cheers,
Alex

P.S. Send me feedback on how we can improve. I respond to every email.

Stories of Excellence

Person: Lisa Su

Lisa Su is a force in the tech world. Born in Taiwan and raised in New York, she's now the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Su's journey is one of grit and smarts. She joined AMD in 2012 and became CEO in 2014. Since then, she's turned the company around. AMD's stock price has soared over 3000% under her leadership. Su's focus on high-performance computing has paid off big time. "We're betting that high-performance computing is the growth engine of the future," she says. Her work ethic is legendary. She starts her day at 5:30 AM with exercise and reading. Su's success story is a testament to hard work and vision in the fast-paced world of tech.

Key Lessons from Lisa Su:

• On mornings: "I believe that the early morning hours are the most productive."

• On persistence: "You have to be willing to take risks and you have to be willing to stick with it even when it's not going well."

• On leadership: "Leadership is about making the right decisions and sometimes the hardest decisions."

Read More.

Company: LG

LG, originally known as Lucky-Goldstar, was founded in 1947 by Koo In-hwoi in South Korea. The company started as a small chemical manufacturer producing cosmetics and plastics. In 1958, LG produced Korea's first radio, marking its entry into electronics. The 1960s saw LG expanding into home appliances, with its first refrigerator and TV. By the 1970s, LG had become a major player in South Korea's rapidly industrializing economy. The company went global in the 1980s, establishing its first overseas production facility in the U.S. In 1995, Lucky-Goldstar rebranded to LG Electronics, adopting the slogan "Life's Good." Today, LG is a multinational conglomerate with 2024 revenues over $55 billion, known for its innovative electronics and appliances.

Key Lessons from LG:

• On how they build product: LG emphasizes innovation and customer-centric design in their product development. They've established a digital development environment using AI-based simulation technology to minimize physical testing and speed up the development process.

• On global expansion: Go where the customers are. LG didn't wait for the world to come to Korea. They set up shop in the U.S. in the 1980s. Bold move for a Korean company back then.

Read More.

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Accelerants

High-performance tool

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10 Types Of Innovation That Amazon, Apple, And Nvidia Use

Insights

Tactical reads

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> When exploring the psychological tension between beliefs and actions
A Lesson In Cognitive Dissonance (Read it here)

> When seeking timeless advice on achieving success and avoiding misery
Charlie Munger's speech to the Harvard School, June 1986 (Read it here)

1 question

That’s all for today, folks. As always, please give me your feedback. Which section is your favourite? What do you want to see more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.

Have a wonderful rest of week, all.

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Alex Brogan

Find me on X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok

Offshore Talent: Where to find the best offshore talent. Powered by Athyna.

Why Faster Than Normal? Our mission is to be a friend to the ambitious, a mentor to the becoming, and a partner to the bold. We achieve this by sharing the stories, ideas, and frameworks of the world's most prolific people and companies—and how you can apply them to build businesses, wealth, and the most important asset of all: yourself.

Faster Than Normal is a ‘state' of being’ rather than an outcome. Outlier performance requires continuous, compounded improvement. We’re your partner on this journey.

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