Concept · Silicon Valley / Startup Dogma
Amp It Up
Origin: Frank Slootman (2022)
Biological Parallel
During spawning, salmon metabolism increases 10x—heart rate, oxygen consumption, everything amplifies simultaneously for the final push. But this mode is fatal: they die within days from organ failure. 'Amp it up' is metabolic overdrive—unsustainable by design, but effective for short decisive periods. The error is treating sprint metabolism as operational baseline. Slootman's insight is biological: know when to redline the engine, and know it's terminal if sustained.