Concept · Investment & Valuation
Working Backwards
Origin: Amazon / Colin Bryar & Bill Carr
Biological Parallel
Migratory birds don't navigate by following gradual cues—they imprint on destination coordinates (celestial, magnetic, olfactory) and work backwards to determine the route. Arctic terns know their Antarctic destination before their first migration, using the endpoint to solve pathfinding. This teleological navigation—starting with the target and deriving the journey—is more reliable than incremental wayfinding. Amazon's 'working backwards' from press releases mirrors this: define the destination state first, then solve for the path.