products are tools. humans are toolmakers.
fundamentally, tools are leverage for human capacity. they transform how something gets done. before the tool, it was one way. after the tool, it’s another.
the best tools (or products):
- remove friction and pain
- transform the way we do something
- provide leverage to the person using it
nothing can be made today without a tool that came before it. everything we know and love is a subset of the tools that came before. computers, movies, music, shoes… everything.
the first tool was our mind. it’s still around today. we used it to make things real with our hands, fingers, thumbs, and the dexterity we were gifted. once we learned to leverage those, we built more physical tools, and kept going.
most people take tools for granted. the true power of a tool is that another human made it. someone conceived the idea that it would be useful here, then did the work to bring it to life.
this is a big thank you to all the toolmakers who came before. we wouldn’t be here without you.